Savior
by Leanne Ash
Summary: [COMPLETE] AU Squinoa: SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior, SeeD led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. But fate is cruel...
1. Chapter 1 and 2

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa 

**Summary**: An elite mercenary force known as SeeD is raging a battle against Ultimecia, the reigning sorceress of the future and her followers, the Galbadians. A prophecy foretells the existence of a kind and pure sorceress: the savior, Sorceress Rinoa. Born from the earth to save it, she alone will posses the amazing power to defeat Ultimecia and end the world's turmoil. SeeD's top members must protect her from Galbadia's assassins as they journey together to the Gates of Time where Ultimecia reigns on the other side... 

Squall, a cold, reluctant hero, is dispatched as the leader of SeeD's quest to find and protect the earth's savior. He finds Rinoa by chance, and doesn't seem to grasp (or care) as to why she is of great importance. But having thrived on discipline, isolation, and the reluctance to care for others, Squall gradually finds her spirited and caring attitude fascinating. Unfortunately, there is a terrible sacrifice to Rinoa's power and noble intentions to help others.. One that will prove fatal if the prophecy is fulfilled.

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Prologue  
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She closed her eyes as the gentle passing of countless petals brushed her face. The air smelled of sweet flowers and dewy grass; a common familiarity in her life. She could spend hours standing amongst the tall grass as the passing breeze brought about a symphony of flower petals to sooth her demeanor. 

It would be one of her last times out there. She had seen it in the stars and knew. Her seventeenth birthday had just passed. She would be taken away soon... 

Her silky black hair danced in the wind, as she didn't bother to hold it back. The light blue duster she wore flowed majestically around her, grazing the back of her bare legs. Her beautiful, yet mysterious, brown eyes caught sight of a flower petal maintaining its elevation within her reaches. She caught it and caged it beneath her fingers, feeling the soft, satiny texture of the small petal as she manifested it into her own creation. She opened her hand and released the petal in its new form: a feather. The wind came stronger then, blowing the object out of her hand and away towards the sky. She turned and watched it leave with feelings of comfortless desolation. 

How she had secretly wished to be free. To float away and never look back. 

She shook her head suddenly, dismissing the thought. 

_No._ She remembered. _You have a purpose. This is what you were born to do. _

She heard them calling her then. Not real voices, for they were of a higher being. Their thoughts and feelings were always heard, but never by human ears. She began to run. As the wind brushed past her, she felt the temptation to spread her arms and let the wind hold her back, to create a resistance. The whispers grew around her, riding along the breeze, spreading through her ebony hair and hints of gold. She ran faster, towards her home, towards the voices. Transparent white wings grew from her back as she vanished amongst the flower petals.

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Chapter 1: **The Interrogation**  
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Squall Leonhart sat concentrating against the cold brick wall that hid his position. His features were hardened, glaring out his deep blue eyes in deep assessment of his situation. His weapon, a manufacture of pure, relentless steel: part blade, part gun, lay in his grip as he held it up beside him for support. 

The radio attached to his belt began to emit static as he heard someone on the other end calling his name. 

_What do they want now?_

Squall was a member of SeeD and Commander at Balamb Garden, an elite force created to defeat sorceresses as they attempted to reign over generations. The Garden was the establishment and main headquarters of the training facilitation. Acting as mercenaries on the side, they funded the existence of their exclusive academy. 

He had began training at the Garden in his early stages of youth, becoming well adjusted to discipline and unarmed combat. Squall was well admired at the Garden, especially by the female students who were infatuated by his good looks and icy demeanor. But it was because of his cold attitude that he didn't have many friends, much less anyone that was brave enough to strike a conversation with him. He prided himself on being a loner, and was faithful in keeping himself that way. But due to his devotion and reliability, the Garden promoted him to Commander, thus making him the reluctant leader in most missions at only the age of seventeen. 

Frustrated at having his thoughts interrupted, he angrily swiped at the radio attached to his belt. 

"What is it?" he demanded. 

"Squall," the voice replied from the small transmitter. "Have you secured the location of the hostages yet?" 

"No sir," Squall answered, immediately recognizing the voice of his superior. He turned his head and glanced over the side of the brick wall. "I've just gotten past the gates of Galbadia." 

"Where are the others?" 

"I have them on standby in secure areas. Zell is staking out hostage locations." 

"Good. After you complete this mission Squall, report to my office and bring the other high ranking SeeDs with you." 

_…After I complete the mission? What makes you so damn sure I'll be able to do this?_

He paused. "Yes, sir." 

The transmission ended. He sat frowning at the tiny radio for a few seconds longer. Cid, the Headmaster at Balamb Garden, frequently expected too much from him. Squall was finding it more than annoying. 

Supporting his weight on his gunblade, Squall lifted himself off the ground and watched cautiously as Galbadian soldiers walked by. 

It seemed most of SeeD's missions revolved around Galbadia in one way or another. Galbadia's recent war declaration against any that oppose the Sorceress made them Balamb Garden's direct enemy. Galbadia supported the forthcoming of the future Sorceress, Ultimecia. It was predicted that she would someday pass through time compression during the final alignment of the eighth star and cause havoc and destruction to all of mankind. Galbadia, rather than fear the witch, chose to celebrate her forthcoming as her devoted followers, knowing they will be spared as her slaves when she finally reigns. 

SeeD, formed with completely opposite intentions, fought for the well being of mankind's future. They were preparing for the battle of Ultimecia's coming and opposed anyone on her side, making them in turn, Galbadia's direct enemy. 

Galbadia had recently kidnapped two SeeD cadets for questioning. The rumor had spread that Cid, Headmaster of Balamb Garden, was harboring a secret weapon that would ensure the defeat of Sorceress Ultimecia. 

Squall couldn't care less about this so-called "secret". All he knew was that two SeeD cadets had been stupid enough to get captured and it was somehow his responsibility to save them. 

Brushing his copper colored bangs from his eyes, he fingered an option on his radio and asked it to pinpoint the location of Zell, the man he had sent ahead. Static emitted from the small speaker as a voice cheerfully acknowledged him. 

"Yo! S'up, Squall?" 

"Keep your voice down," Squall hissed. "Do you want to give away your position?" _Why couldn't they have kidnapped this guy instead?_ He thought contumaciously. 

"Sorry man," he could hear Zell chuckling over the static. "Hey, you gotta learn to lighten up!" 

"Yeah, whatever. Have you found the location of the hostages?" 

"Of course! I told ya' you could count on me!" Zell said with self-satisfaction. "Head over to the Communication Tower at the top of the hill. I'll meet you outside." 

Zell Dincht was a fellow SeeD member, highly skilled in the field of martial arts. He had known Squall since childhood and although Squall wasn't much of a friend to Zell, Zell was always a friend to him. He was one of the rare few who wasn't easily pushed away by Squall's anti-social behavior. 

Squall clicked off the transmission and leaned back against the wall to catch a glimpse of the large Communication Tower that lingered in the distance. He narrowed his eyes. Two Galbadian soldiers stood in his way. 

_Guess I don't have a choice… _

Gripping the handle of his gunblade tightly, he closed his eyes and carefully thought out his strategy. Opening them suddenly, he pushed off the brick wall with his free hand before joining it with the other at the handle of his weapon. He used the momentum to run full speed towards the two unsuspecting soldiers. Seemingly unprepared, they turned in surprise as Squall slashed his weapon upon their armor, immediately rendering one of them unconscious from the impact. The other staggered backwards and clumsily reached for his weapon, but the young Commander was already running past him. Effortlessly, Squall lifted his arm up behind him and hit the back of the soldier's head with the handle of his gunblade, knocking him out instantly. Squall quickly fastened his gunblade to his belt and continued running full speed towards Galbadia's Communication Tower. 

* * *

Zell Dincht stood leaning against a large boulder rather uncomfortably. He hated wearing his SeeD uniform. The professional looking outfit was made lacking much needed flexibility on his part. Waiting patiently for his squad leader to appear, he ran a hand through his spiky blonde hair, grazing the jagged tattoo scrawled across his face as he did so. The tattoo was his proud trademark as it was what distinguished him from everyone else.

Patience diminishing, Zell became bored and scanned his surroundings carefully. He saw no one around for miles. Putting up his fists, he began furiously punching air, exercising his physical advantages. 

His ears suddenly perked when he heard the sound of tumbling gravel. Turning his head to the direction of the noise, he made sure to keep himself half hidden behind the boulder he was leaning against. Someone was approaching the top of the hill above him, causing dirt and stone to roll down by his feet. 

"Zell? Where are you?!" called a sweet, perky voice. 

Zell moved quickly out from his hiding spot. "Selphie? Down here!" 

She moved breathlessly to the top of the hill and began to make her way down. Exhausted, and clearly not paying attention, her footing stumbled against a rock and she tripped forward. Zell tried to hold in his laughter as she rolled to the floor at his feet. She looked up. Her short, feathered out brown hair shined brightly in the sunlight. She shed no embarrassment as she smiled and stuck her tongue out at him. 

Selphie Tilmitt was one of the newest members of SeeD, having trained for it all her life. She was spunky and loud, and much like Zell, very young at heart. But because she was a girl at the same time, she seemed out of place in a military academy. Eventually, she learned to take advantage of such a fact rather than feel insignificant by it. 

"What did I tell ya?" Zell said while helping her up. "These SeeD uniforms don't give much." 

She rubbed her shoulder in agreement. "Ow… Watch me die on the battlefield because my skirt wouldn't let me run away fast enough…" They both laughed. He wrapped an arm playfully around her neck. "Don't worry, kid. You'll get used to this crazy life soon." 

"'Kid'? I'm seventeen like you!" Selphie reminded him. Zell laughed and clutched her neck harder in his grip. "They grow up so fast…" 

"Ow! Easy, easy!" she protested. "Don't you wanna know why I'm here? Cid sent me as the messenger." 

He released his grip. "Go on." 

"Where's Squall? I should wait till the squad leader gets here." 

"For what?" came a voice behind them. 

Zell and Selphie turned as Squall approached them from the stone pathway. The journey from the center of Galbadia to its Communication Tower on the hill was an exhausting uphill trip, but he didn't look the least bit phased as he walked casually to where the two of them stood. 

He frowned at Selphie. "You weren't suppose to leave your post." 

"I know," she answered quickly. "But Cid told me to assist you two up here." 

"What for?" Squall asked. 

Selphie looked around hastily and lowered her voice. "The General of Galbadia is on his way here to question the kidnapped SeeDs. If they take them to the D District Prison…" she ran a single finger across her neck. "Well, you know... They were detected off the main shore, they'll be here soon so we gotta work fast." 

"Say what!!?" Zell exclaimed. 

"Keep it down." Squall spat. He turned back to Selphie. "Okay, here's the new plan: We get up there, rescue them, and if we don't make it time and run into the General, you-" Squall pointed at Selphie. "-take them to safety where the others are waiting on standby. Me and Zell will hold them back as much as we can." He paused. "If we're not at the east shore in ten minutes, leave without us." 

"B-But…" she began. But she quickly shook her head and bit her tongue. She knew better than to argue with Squall, especially when it came to matters such as these. 

"Alright!" Zell said, pumping his fist into the air. "Let's kick some ass!" 

The three of them charged through the doors of Galbadia's Communication Tower and were greeted by six Galbadian soldiers. Squall held out his gunblade, the shiny metal reflecting the sunlight which shown through behind him from the open doors. Zell tightened his fists and crouched slightly in a fighting stance. Selphie snapped out her nunchakus and twirled them fearlessly in their direction. She had been highly skilled in the practice of this particular weapon since she was a child. Mockingly, she whistled at the soldiers and winked sweetly. 

"It's SeeD! Capture them!!" 

The short battle, seemingly unfair with three verses six, was in fact, of equilibrium when in sheer comparison of skill. Squall had taken down two men easily with a mere passing of his gunblade, while Selphie had done the same with her trusty nunchakus, knocking her own share unconscious. Zell, furious with his fists, killed off the last two men with only two or three hits. 

Having no time to acknowledge their victory, they casually made their way past the bodies and towards the lift. 

"What a shame…" Zell joked. 

Most soldiers kept as security within the city limits of Galbadia were inexperienced. They were of little to no threat as members of SeeD were more advanced in the field of combat. It was the higher-ranking Galbadian soldiers, the ones that were arriving soon with the General, which they had to worry about. 

The three SeeDs quickly boarded the lift and made their way up the tower. 

* * *

"… But I… I don't… understand… the question…" the boy gasped as he tried desperately to ignore the growing pain in his jaw.

The Galbadian soldier shook his head. "No," he stated coldly. "You must know. You're one of THEM! What is it you know!? What secret is the Garden hiding!?" 

"Why are you… so sure I… know…?" the battered boy asked. 

"Because I know you… Irvine." The soldier admitted. Lifting his helmet, he softened his voice. "You used to be one of us. You shared in Her glory like the rest of us." He frowned, trying hard to not let his emotions overcome his duty. "But you left us to join SeeD. You left willingly to become our enemy…" 

Irvine slowly raised his head, his brown locks of hair fell to the sides of his face. "I had to… I couldn't… take it anymore. I couldn't celebrate the so-called… miracle… that Ultimecia would bring. I never… shared your… vision." 

The man frowned and promptly placed the helmet back over his head. "You're a fool, Irvine." He said from under it. "Ultimecia would've made you a God. You would've forever basked in her infinite glory. Now you're only going to suffer like the rest." He shook his head sadly. "You're a fool…" 

Irvine spat out the blood that seared in his mouth. His old friend was beyond help now. Looking to his left, he wondered if Nida, the dark haired boy who had been kidnapped with him, was doing all right. After several questions he refused to answer, Nida had been struck repeatedly and was rendered unconscious. 

Irvine Kinneas had spent seven years of his life under Galbadian Law. Following, but never truly believing the legend of Ultimecia, who was to eliminate all but those who worshipped her in the near future. He had been raised on hearing the stories of SeeD: the elite mercenary force that sought out to vanquish the Sorceress by all means necessary. It was where his heart truly fell, where he wanted to dedicate himself and towards. Stopping the prophecy of elimination. 

He escaped Galbadia at the age of sixteen and took refuge at Balamb Garden. Anyone who left the teachings of the Galbadian Law was hunted down to be returned, or worse, killed. Now, Irvine was seventeen, an expert gunman and a full-fledged member of SeeD. 

The Galbadian soldier was about to resume his interrogation when they both heard the lift being activated. The soft humming of the machinery indicated the arrival of company. 

"That must be the General!" The soldier announced, pitifully inspecting himself. 

Irvine returned his eyes to the floor. _This is gonna be bad…_

Everyone feared the Galbadian General. He was powerful, influential, and the strongest man on the force. 

The soldier waited with anticipation by the floor entrance but was shocked when the lift presented three unfamiliar individuals clad in SeeD uniforms. "S-SeeD!" he stuttered. 

"Really?" Zell mused. "What gave us away?" 

"Better get a move on!" Selphie warned in her sugary, non-threatening voice. 

Stumbling backwards, the soldier ran for the only phone that was connected to one of the pillars. Squall rolled his eyes as he walked after him; promptly ripping the phone off the wall just as the frightened man grasped the receiver. 

"Don't waste my time." Squall said bluntly. "We're in a hurry." 

At a loss of words, the soldier ran timidly to the lift and quickly exited the situation. 

"Smart kid." Zell commented as he untied Nida and attempted to wake him. "I think he's coming around…" 

As Selphie untied the other boy, she curiously brushed his long brown hair out of his face. "Hey! I know you! You're Irvine, right? It's me, Selphie! We graduated together into SeeD just last term, remember?" 

Irvine chuckled and began wiping the matted blood off his forehead. "I could never forget you, Sefie…Not with a beautiful face like that." 

Selphie blushed and helped him to his feet. "One thing at a time, Irvy. You don't want me to make your injuries worse." 

Nida's head rolled to one side as he finally started to wake up. He groaned. "Is it over…?" 

Zell patted him on the back and helped him up. "Not even close, buddy. C'mon, let's get you out of here." 

Nida noticed instantly that Squall was with them. "C-Commander…" he stuttered. Squall winced at the title. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I should've been more responsible…" 

Squall sighed. "Don't worry about it. You're alive. That's all that matters." 

They all froze then. Their silence covered with the eerie sound of the lift being activated. 

_He's here…_

Squall turned to Selphie. "Get them out of here when I give the word." He turned to Zell, "Zell, you know what we have to do." The spiky-haired boy nodded. 

They watched in silence as the lift reached their ground level and Seifer Almasy, the General of Galbadia, stood before them.  
  
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Chapter 2: **Crimson Metal**  
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Scraping his gunblade calmly against the tower's steel surface, Seifer regarded his enemies coolly as his two colleagues waited obediently behind him. His short, golden hair wavered stiffly in the breeze as he approached the SeeDs, wearing a large gray trench coat baring the red mark of Hyperion on his forearm. Besides Squall, Seifer was the only other gunblade specialist around. 

He held up his weapon, pointing the tip of the blade in Squall's direction. "Well, if it isn't puberty boy and the chicken-wuss." He sneered. "Long time no see." 

Squall vividly recalled a time several years back when Seifer had still fought on his side. They had trained together as students in Garden (never as friends) and competed against each other for the highest rank possible. Seifer, a naturally gifted cadet, had an unfortunate inability to take orders and control his temper. Such acts prevented him from becoming a member of SeeD, as he grew more and more hostile in his surroundings. 

He remembered the day when Seifer suddenly packed his bags and left the Garden out of the blue. He knew it had been inevitable: Seifer never showed up to class, never participated in missions. It was only a matter of time before the Garden Administrators kicked him out. Squall had always heard Seifer rant about how the Garden was stopping him from fulfilling his dream. "One of these days, I'm gonna tell ya 'bout my ROMANTIC dream!" Seifer had told him once. Squall didn't care to question it, but looking back now, he wished he had. The next time he ever saw Seifer was a year later. At the announcement of Galbadia's war declaration, Seifer was introduced as the new General of Galbadia at only the age of sixteen. 

Now, at eighteen years of age, Seifer was more than a worthy advisory. Besides being physically capable, he held a lot of influential power within him as the Galbadian army sat at his fingertips. He was almost invincible, and very well aware of it. 

"What did you call me!?" Zell demanded in an explosion of fury. 

Seifer ignored him and kept his attention focused on Squall. "I heard you made the rank of Commander." A fraudulent smile of satisfaction formed on his lips. "Congratulations." 

Squall, now holding out his own gunblade, narrowed his eyes at the older boy coldly. 

_What's he getting at?_

The two young men now held identical positions of power in their rank. Squall, the Commander of Balamb Garden and Seifer, who had once strived for the role of Commander, was now the General of Galbadia. He had been rather displeased at the news of Squall's promotion for he had never fully forgotten about the unspoken rivalry the two of them shared. 

"Whatever." Squall snapped. "Get out of the way." 

"Are you challenging me?" the older boy inquired. 'I'm disappointed, Squall. I always thought you had more sense." 

Squall tightened his grip on his gunblade. "Get out of the way." he repeated. 

Shaking his head with a smile, Seifer raised a gloved hand and gestured to the two soldiers standing behind him. "Get the chicken-wuss and the other kids. I'll take care of puberty boy." With that, he slashed his gunblade violently in Squall's direction causing him to stumble back as he luckily, blocked the attack. 

Squall watched from the corner of his eye as the two Galbadian soldiers advanced on Zell and the others. Zell immediately sprang into action, taking them both on at the same time as Selphie protected the two wounded hostages. As one of the soldiers raised his sword high above his head, Zell caught his wrist in midair and used his free fist to punch the soldier in the jaw. He quickly detected the other soldier advancing from behind and skillfully did a back kick in the man's face. 

The fight between Squall and Seifer; however, was on a more personal level. The anger that rose within each of them with every clash of their gunblades reflected the growing rivalry they shared since childhood. Sharing an almost equal amount of skill, they could've kept fighting each other to an eternity. 

Squall charged at Seifer and slashed air when the older boy quickly dodged his attack. Smugly, Seifer held his gunblade back and stretched his arm out to Squall. Waving his fingers, he mockingly signaled his rival to advance. 

Squall turned his blade over in his hands and looked over his shoulder at the others. Zell had successfully beaten Seifer's bodyguards to a pulp. "Go!" He ordered them sternly. "Get out of here!" 

They nodded and quickly retreated to the unguarded lift. Seifer didn't spare them a single glance as he held up his hand and summoned the element of fire, hurling the ball of energy directly into Squall as the he charged at him. 

The young Commander flew backwards, hitting the ground hard in the midst of fire and smoke. The disintegrating embers burned him as he gritted his teeth and quickly attempted to stand. But because he was momentarily caught off guard, Seifer had already raised his gunblade high over his head and struck it down with lightening speed. Without having time to react, Squall could only watch with surprise as the blade slashed down across his face, splitting the flesh between his eyes. A diagonal gash appeared, gushing out blood that fell from his face to the ground at his feet. 

Squall looked up slowly, his head now clouded with rage. Clenching his fists around the handle of his gunblade, he got up quickly and charged at Seifer with anger in his eyes. Seifer's smile faded, knowing he had finally pushed Squall over the edge. He attempted to sidestep the attack, but was unfortunately over confidant with his calculations. Squall brought the blade up from behind him and slashed the steel weapon as hard as he could across Seifer's face, cutting against the reflected area in comparison to his own. 

Seifer fell backwards; pressing a gloved hand to his wound as it bled violently over his face. Squall sat on one knee and propped up his arm against the other. He began breathing rapidly as the numbing sensation his anger had provided quickly diminished. 

"You ass! What the hell did you do?" Seifer hissed through his teeth. 

Squall ignored him. Standing up, he weakly made his way to the lift. He constantly had to brush a hand across his face to wipe away the blood that fell into eyes. Cursing to himself silently, he activated the lift. 

_That's gonna leave a scar…_ Squall thought bitterly. 

Seifer watched the other boy angrily. He struggled to stand, but the effects of rapid blood loss sat him back down quickly. "Squall!" he called out suddenly. 

The other boy didn't respond. He kept his back turned as he boarded the lift. 

"Squall!" Seifer called again. "Get your skinny ass back here!" 

Squall continued to ignore the ranting General as the lift descended. 

"This isn't over! Squall!!" was the last thing he heard as the shadows of the lower levels engulfed him. 

* * *

"Not again… He's not gonna beat me again…" Seifer murmured as he furiously wiped the blood from his forehead. "He's trying to make me look bad…" Ignoring his blood soaked gloves, he grabbed the radio he kept clipped at his belt and clicked on the transmitter.

"Raijin!" he barked. "Activate the X-ATM092 and have it target the SeeDs. They're not leaving Galbadia!" 

* * *

Squall staggered slowly down the street, the searing pain pulsing madly between his eyes. The streets were empty. Having heard of SeeDs' presence in Galbadia, local residents chose to hide in their homes. _How can these people stand having a leader like Seifer? Does he even believe in all this sorceress crap?_

All his life he had never really admired anything about Seifer. Even though he had found it impressive that Seifer had mastered the gunblade, his sheer attitude in general had always annoyed Squall. He had labeled him with the name "puberty boy" due to Squall's continuous rejection of the Gardens' female students. Seifer would always loudly proclaim, especially in the presence of authority figures: "Don't worry, Squall. One of these days you'll reach puberty!" Needless to say, Squall was glad when Seifer left. But ever since the day Seifer joined the Galbadians, they were no longer just rivals. They were enemies. 

He spat out the blood that fell upon his lip bitterly. _No matter what he does or who he becomes, he'll always be the same person. He's never going to change._

Squall stopped in the middle of the street and tried to catch a glimpse of the harbor. 

"Did they leave?" 

No sooner had he uttered those words than the ground beneath his feet began to shake. A low, mechanical rumbling was heard not too far behind him. He turned in the direction of the noise and began slowly stepping backwards. _The hell is that?_

The rumbling grew louder and to Squall's surprise, a massive, spider-like robot turned the corner and on to his street. 

The X-ATM092 scanned the area with several flashing lasers. Its radar quickly detected the SeeDs' presence and redirected its course in his direction. 

"Shit." Squall cursed under his breath. He turned and ran as fast as he could towards the shore as the enormous mechanical spider chased after him, crushing any parked vehicles that were in its way. 

As Squall passed under the gates of Galbadia, the X-ATM092 caught up to him. Not letting the large brick pillars get in its way, it pushed its way into them, sending Squall flying from the impact behind him and onto the sands of the harbor. 

Zell and Selphie turned in surprise as their Commander tumbled to the ground just a short distance from them. They had decided to go against orders and wait for their leader an extra five minutes past the time limit. Realizing that Squall had company, Zell ran to the doors of their ship and ordered them to start the engine. Selphie lingered outside and waited for Squall before quickly descending into the ship. 

Beaten up and clearly malfunctioning, the X-ATM092 struggled to rehabilitate itself. Squall, despite the amount of pain running through his body, forced himself to his feet and began running towards the others. 

The machine whimpered to its feet and rescanned the area. The signals quickly focused on Squall as he ran off just ahead. With only one intention in mind, the mechanical spider moved furiously in hot pursuit, easily catching up within seconds. 

Squall could feel the X-ATM092 close at his heels. The ship had already begun retreating the area to get out of range of the machine's destruction. Zell waited just outside the doors of the ship and gestured wildly at the Commander. 

"C'mon!!" he shouted. 

Taking his chances, Squall leaped off the edge of the harbor. He reached with all his might and managed to grasp the smooth metal deck of the ship. Closing his eyes, he waited for the mechanical beast to grab hold of him and pull him back. Instead, he heard the sound of wild gunfire from the top level of the ship. 

Irvine, using the gattling gun attached to the ship, fired repeatedly into the advancing robot. "You want some of this!?" taunted the long-haired boy. "Ha ha!" 

Squall caught one last glimpse of the beaten up robot as the doors slid shut. 

Exhausted, he fell back and leaned against the cold metal doors. Blood still dripped from the wound on his forehead. He glared to himself as he suddenly remembered Seifer. 

_He probably sent that thing after me._

Reaching a hand to his face, he traced the exposed cut that lay between his eyes. It had yet to close. Examining his hand, he frowned at the amount of blood that it was drenched in. 

_I must've lost a lot of blood… _Squall thought dizzily. The pain didn't subside. The throbbing didn't cease. He felt drained. Leaning his head back against the soothingly cold steel, he closed his eyes. 

* * *

**Authors note: **These first two chapters were purely for introductory purposes. Sequels to the original story line don't need many introductions because it's carrying on the original plot… you don't have to explain much because the readers already know. But because this is an AU (Alternate Universe) fanfic, I sorta have to start fresh. I'm getting character backgrounds out of the way so I can get more into Squall's personality and finally introduce Rinoa into the story. Can't wait!! She'll possess her original character traits only I'll make sure she isn't annoying (when she doesn't have to be) Thanks for reading ) I'll try to get new chapters up on a weekly basis. Feel free to email me. 


	2. Chapter 3 and 4

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa

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Chapter 3: **Chasing a Fairytale**  
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He opened his eyes slowly to the sound of birds chirping. As his eyes adjusted to the bright lights, he immediately recognized the ceiling he stared up at. He was in the Balamb Garden infirmary; a place he'd been many times before. As he opened his eyes wider, he felt the heavy bandage that was wrapped around his forehead. The pain between his eyes had been thankfully reduced.

"How are you feeling?"

Turning his head to the side, he noticed Dr. Kadowaki walking in from the next room. Slowly, he sat himself up in a sitting position. "…Okay." He answered.

Dr. Kadowaki stood by his bed and began jotting down notes. "Take it easy next time, you hear?" She looked down at him from her clipboard. "Looks like your eyes are focusing. You should be fine. Say your name for me."

"Squall." he answered tiredly. "Am I free to leave?"

The elderly women sighed in defeat. "You wanna be cool, huh? Well, don't get hurt in the process." She turned to the phone that was posted up on the wall. "Just a second… One of your comrades asked to be informed of your medical status as soon as you had waken up."

Squall fell back onto the medical bed and placed an arm over his forehead to shield himself from the wrath of the bright lights in the room. Visibly annoyed at the delay, he listened in as Dr. Kadowaki made the call.

"Quistis? Come get your Commander. Yes, yes. His injury's not serious. It'll probably leave a scar. …Right. Now please come by."

He raised his head up from the bed, a look of puzzlement on his face. _Why does she care?_

Quistis Trepe, an eighteen-year-old instructor at Balamb Garden, had remained Squall's superior up until he was given the role of Commander. She had been a SeeD since she was fifteen and had received her instructor license at the age of seventeen. Intelligent and mature for her age, she liked to think of herself as Squall's older sister since she had known and observed him for years.

The doors to the infirmary slid open and Quistis walked in. Dressed in her formal SeeD uniform, she straightened her glasses and proceeded to greet Dr. Kadowaki. The two strands of blonde hair that rested at the sides of her face reflected the sunlight as she walked gracefully past the windows. She stopped when she noticed Squall lying on the medical bed. Sighing, she rolled her eyes and smiled down at him.

"I knew this would happen if you came across Seifer." she stated knowingly. "Come on, let's go. Cid called a meeting today for you and the other high-ranking SeeDs."

Sitting up and placing his feet on the floor, he began to remove the uncomfortable bandage that was wrapped around his forehead._ The meeting… I almost forgot about that…_

"Something on your mind, Squall?" Quistis inquired when he didn't respond.

He stood and picked up his gunblade which had been left resting against the wall. "…Not really." They both said in unison. Quistis laughed at her ability to predict his replies.

"What's so funny?" he asked as he proceeded to exit the infirmary.

She walked faster to catch up to him as he walked hastily down the corridor in long strides. "Funny? No, no, it's not that!" she protested. "I'm just happy. I feel like I'm beginning to understand you a little. That's all."

_That'll be the day._

Reaching the main hallways of Balamb Garden, he winced at the sudden brightness of the vast academy. Water fountains lined the walkways as they lead to their designated locations, while students, who had lived at the Garden all their lives, passed by quickly. Seemingly unaware of the beauty that surrounded them.

Quistis, walking with her arms folded, pointed a finger casually to Squall's left. "There's your fan club." she informed with a smile.

A huddled group of female students stood watching him with anticipation from a distance. Squall rolled his eyes. _Not again… _They stood by the elevator so he had no choice but to pass them. They smiled and giggled as he approached. One of the braver girls in the group timidly stepped forward and waved her hand shyly. "Good morning, Commander Leonhart," she practically squeaked, turning to Quistis. "Instructor Trepe."

"Good morning, girls." Quistis greeted warmly. The girls smiled back and looked expectantly at Squall. He frowned and proceeded to press the elevator button when Quistis sharply jabbed him in the ribs.

_Okay, okay…_

He turned and nodded at the group of female students. "Ladies." he acknowledged coolly.

Blushing furiously, they immediately burst into a fit of muffled giggles as he turned his attention back to the elevator buttons. Ignoring them as much as he could, he quickly took out his keycard and swiped it into the holder, granting himself access to the third floor of the Garden. Stepping inside, he noticed the girls crowding around Quistis and whispering into her ear. "Quistis!" he called sharply. "Are you coming or not?"

She looked up and the other girls backed away silently from her. Stealing one last glance of the young Commander, they smiled and waved at him before retreating.

Rolling his eyes again, he leaned against the wall of the elevator and propped his arms up on the metal bar behind him. Doors closing behind her, Quistis joined him, keeping her arms folded across her chest. Irritated, he watched as she tried to muffle her laughter.

"Don't even say it." Squall warned.

"Not even going to give them a chance, huh?"

"Not when they're that annoying."

She laughed. "They told me you look even sexier with the scar."

"Super." he muttered sarcastically.

He traced a hand down the middle of his forehead to the bridge of his nose, letting his fingertips caress the split surface. He wondered if Seifer was facing the same disfigurement. Never being one to care a great deal about his looks, he shrugged it off.

The doors of the elevator slid open as it reached the third floor. With Quistis close behind him, Squall walked down the dimly lit hallway and pushed open the heavy doors. Everyone in the room turned to face him as he entered Headmaster Cid's office.

"Squall!" Zell greeted walking towards him. He stopped as he got a closer look at the Commander. "Whoa! Dude, nice scar!"

"…Thanks?" Squall replied awkwardly. Scanning the room, he noticed Selphie and Irvine were also present. He nodded to them in acknowledgement as Quistis closed the office doors behind her and stepped forward. "Sir?" she asked, gesturing to the short, heavily built man who had suddenly appeared before them. "If you'd like to begin the meeting, I believe we're all here."

Squall, Zell, Quistis, Selphie and Irvine stood aligned as Headmaster Cid stepped forward. They formally saluted him, each placing a hand in the air several inches from their face.

"At ease." permitted the Headmaster. They promptly dropped their hands to their sides. Cid nodded at Squall. "Commander Leonhart."

Squall flinched at his detested title. "Sir."

Cid turned and nodded at the others. "Members of SeeD." He adjusted his glasses and placed his hands behind his back. "Thank you for coming. There is quite an issue at hand." He looked at Irvine. "I'm glad you're back safe, Irvine. I'm impressed you were well enough to attend the meeting."

"Yes, sir." Irvine replied. "To be honest, I'd really like to know some of the answers to the questions they asked."

Cid nodded. "And you will. I'd like to start off by saying that the rumors spreading around are indeed, true. There may be a definite way to defeat Sorceress Ultimecia and I apologize for hiding it from all of you up until now."

"Is it some kind of massive weapon?" Zell asked. "'Cuz I heard that all the firearm in the world combined couldn't kill Ultimecia. Her powers are beyond the range of any weapon forged."

"Thank you, Mr. Know-It-All-Zell." Squall commented disdainfully. "Can you let him finish, please?"

Zell shrank back and regained his composure. "R-Right... Sorry, sir."

Cid continued. "It's true that Ultimecia's powers are incredibly strong and none of our magic…" he nodded at Zell. "…or weapons… could easily defeat her. She is a superior being. So how do you defeat such an advisory? …You bring in someone who is as equally powerful as she is." He paused. "Another sorceress."

"Say what…?" Selphie asked in disbelief. The others shared in her surprise.

They knew, for a fact, that the sorceresses across generations had all been evil, power-hungry tyrants. Relentlessly destroying everything in existence, they lacked all forms of mercy and purity. Why would a sorceress ever fight on their side?

Cid removed his glasses and wiped them across his sweater. "How many of you have heard the story of the 'Savior'?"

"Isn't that just a legend?" Squall asked. "An angel is sent to save us… or something along those lines. We all heard it when we were kids. It's just a fairytale."

Quistis nodded. "I've heard about that story… a guardian angel is suppose to appear and save all of humanity from the wrath of the evil witch. I think I read the book when I was a child." She searched her mind thoughtfully. "Come to think of it, I can't remember how it ends…"

Growing impatient, Zell anxiously rubbed the back of his neck. "Sir… with all due respect, what's an old kids book have to do with anything?"

"What if…" Cid began slowly. "What if I told you that the story of the 'Savior' wasn't just a fairytale? That it really was an actual legend ...a prophecy even."

Before anyone could respond, Cid walked quickly to his desk and held up a vanilla colored binder, clearly overloaded as several of its content fell out. "What if there was proof?" To their surprise, he spread the contents of the folder all over the floor without a second thought. "Several years back, Shiva's shrine was excavated for curiosity purposes. They found this…" he pointed to one of the photographs on the floor. It was a piece of blue marble stone. Etched across its smooth surface, was an unintelligible scribble of writing.

"We didn't think much of it then," Cid admitted. "But after we excavated the other Guardian Force shrines, we found similar stones. The writing, along with the color, was always different. It was a mystery."

Squall knelt down and shifted through the photos. Sure enough, he found photographs of the different colored stones. The stone found in Ifrit's cavern glowed an angry red as the words scrawled across it seemed to pulse out from the picture. "Were they ever translated?" he asked.

Cid nodded. "Just recently by the G.F scientists. Combined together, the stones reenact a story similar to that of the 'Savior'." He shook his head. "No, not a story. It sounds more like a prophecy… a prediction." He shifted through the piles of paper on the floor and held up a particular sheet. "Not all of it was translated. The writing was more than ancient: the translators clearly exhausted themselves over it."

Straightening his glasses, he quickly scanned the wrinkled piece of paper. "The sorceress was born from the forces and elements of the earth, just like the G.F's. She will act as a vessel for the earth's higher energy and will possess extraordinary powers beyond anything we know. Not to be feared by us, she will have a heart of serene purity and have content for mankind… Nearing the days to Ultimecia's forthcoming, she will be summoned. Once here, she will travel to the Gates of Time and challenge Ultimecia on the other side, hopefully destroying her forever…" he stopped to turn the paper around. "There was more written on the stones… something about 'seven days' and 'immortality'…We couldn't make it out."

Squall stood leaning against the wall now; arms folded with a skeptical look on his face. "So… the spirits of the earth have decided to help by sending a little girl to fight our battles for us?"

"Squall…" Quistis warned sharply.

"Pardon me, sir…" Squall continued. "… but the whole idea seems kind of far-fetched. It's just a story told to give people false hope. "

"Hey Squall," Zell spoke up suddenly. "You said it yourself; 'We all heard it when we were kids' …That includes you too, you know."

Squall frowned at him. "What's that got to do with—"

"What I mean is," Zell interrupted. "You've heard this story before, I've heard this story before… Everyone's heard this story before. It's still being told now! Where do you think it originated? You know in my opinion, a story that's been passed around for this long MUST hold some kind of truth to it."

The Commander sighed in defeat. Surprisingly, Zell had brought up a valid point. "Okay then… Suppose the legend is true," he turned to the Headmaster. "How, where, and when exactly?"

"Well, if I may continue…" Cid stated bluntly. He turned his attention back to the piece of paper in his hand. "It basically said that… before the alignment of the eight stars, she'll come to us… or… we find her."

"The alignment of the eight stars…" Selphie repeated slowly.

"Yeah, you know." Zell said turning to her. "They're the only stars in the sky that glow a kind of fluorescent light blue?"

"I know that! It's just… the alignment…" she searched her memory frantically. "Hey! That's about a month from now!"

Quistis shook her head fearfully. "Ultimecia's arrival…"

They all turned to look at Cid. He nodded at them slowly. "Exactly."

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Chapter 4: **Rinoa**  
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_Well… that didn't take long._

Squall lay staring up at the ceiling in his bed as he overheard a conversation going on outside his window.

"…and the first day of the alignment's almost here! They still haven't found her!"

"Do you think she even exists?"

"Hey, if there's a bad sorceress out there then there's gotta be a good one."

"Hmm… you're probably right. I'm sure she'll be easy to spot when she does show up. You know how all sorceresses dress up in those crazy head dresses and funky jewelry?"

"Yeah… real eyesore."

"Don't make jokes. This is serious!"

Squall turned over in his bed and tried to block them out. He was exhausted. Ever since the meeting in Headmaster Cid's office, they had spent the last two weeks searching endlessly for the so-called 'sorceress'. Exploring the G.F shrines, the towns, and the villages to no avail. No girl or women matched the description or had come forth claiming so.

Reaching a gloved leather hand over his head, he grabbed the side of the window frame and slammed it shut with one quick motion. It seemed the rumor had spread fast.

_I knew Zell couldn't keep his mouth shut._

Word had gotten out about the supposed prophecy like wildfire. He knew it was only a matter of time before it reached Galbadia.

_This is getting pointless. Even if this girl does exist, why do we need her?_

Frustrated, he turned over in his bed again.

_This'll probably end up being another baby-sitting job for me. We don't even have time for this... We should be discussing battle strategies for Ultimecia's arrival, not wasting our time by searching for someone who may or may not exist. _

Squall placed his feet on the floor and stood up. He was now wearing his black combat attire, which had a rather unique buckle system around his waist and down his right pant leg. Along with this was a matching black leather jacket and its fur-lined collar. Like Zell, he too didn't care much for wearing the regular SeeD uniform.

_There's no way I'll get any sleep at this rate. Might as well go into town and get something to eat… _

* * *

Zell stared blankly at the bottom of his empty glass.

"I could've sworn we'd find the sorceress down here…"

Selphie watched him with her hands under her chin. "How many of those did you drink, Zell?"

He leaned back sleepily and began staring at his hands. "Fuck Selph, I think I ran out of fingers…"

She rolled her eyes and swiped the glass from his hand. "You drank ten of those, Zell. You have enough fingers—" She watched as his head rolled to one side. "Hey!" Quickly, she reached over the table and slapped him across the face. "Focus! Squall's gonna kill you!"

Zell and Selphie had been wandering around the town of Timber, keeping their eyes open for the sorceress. Sleep-deprived, they stopped in a local restaurant to order coffee when Zell proclaimed he wanted to try something "new".

"Squall thinks he's so great cause he's got that big stick thing… But if it snapped in half he'd cry for days… DAYS, I tell you!"

"Right, right… Listen, Zell I'm gonna go bring the car around. You just stay here and…" Zell gave her a thumbs-up and continued staring at the empty glasses that surrounded him. "…yeah."

Selphie hurried out of the restaurant. _I gotta make it back before he hits the floor!_

* * *

As he sat at the outdoor Balamb Café drinking his coffee, he felt the sea breeze brush playfully through his strands of brown hair. Running a gloved hand over it, he smoothed his hair back into place.

Squall leaned back in his chair and casually sipped the warm liquid. He wasn't too sure where the others were, but he hoped they were doing better than he was. Squall lacked motivation. The mission seemed useless to him and the idea behind it seemed even more ridiculous. How could they expect him to take this seriously? Suddenly a myth was true because a bunch of moldy rocks said so?

_This is so stupid…_

He took another sip. _What's going to happen when Ultimecia arrives? Are we going to be ready? Maybe she won't even show up… maybe all these prophecies are the same. Lies. Fabrications. It's all made up garbage so people have something to believe in. What a waste of time…_

"Interesting weapon."

He looked up sharply to see who had interrupted his thoughts. A girl stood by his table eyeing his gunblade curiously. Because the sun was setting directly behind her, he couldn't make out the details of her face clearly. Not that it mattered. The cloak she was wearing had a rather large hood that kept her face in the shadows.

"Thank you." he said casually. Taking another sip of his coffee, he hoped she would lose interest and leave.

"What kind of weapon is it?"

"It's a gunblade." he stated firmly, not bothering to look back up at her. _Damnit… it's another one of those girls._

"A gunblade? Where have I heard that before…"

He rubbed his forehead in frustration. "You probably didn't. It's a rare weapon. You have to be a part of Garden to be introduced to it."

"Oh! You're from Garden?"

_Smart girl._ "What do you think?"

From the corner of his eye he saw her shrink back and look away in embarrassment. "I'm sorry." she giggled. She turned back and placed a hand on the seat across from him. "Do you mind if I sit?"

_Yes._ He shrugged. "Whatever."

* * *

Zell woke with a start as his face came in contact with the window by his table. The cold surface of the glass felt soothing against the warmth of his skin. _Man, I'm so dizzy… Hey, where'd Selphie go?_

Open his eyes slowly, he gazed out the window and watched the streets of Timber come to life. Everyone passed by in a blur but he couldn't take his focus off one particular person. A woman in light blue was walking casually past the window he stood watching out of. Her expression was stern; her features were somewhat… out of the ordinary. Zell's eyes widened as she began disappear down the street.

_That women… It's her! It's gotta be her!_

Zell jumped abruptly from his seat, startling several the of waitresses who were standing nearby. Throwing money on the table, he quickly ran out of the restaurant and onto the street. Pushing regular civilians out of his way, he frantically scanned the crowds of people but the mysterious women in blue had vanished.

_Damn!_

As he ran through the crowd, he grabbed his cell phone and dialed Squall's number.

* * *

"Squall! I just saw the weirdest women a second ago… I swear she's gotta be the sorceress!"

"Come down, Zell." Squall hissed into the receiver. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, man! She was wearing light blue… her hair was silver, and she was wearing an eye patch for crying out loud!"

"Okay, okay… Where are you right now?"

"I'm in Timber! Get down here and help me find her!"

"Alright." Squall glanced quickly at the women who sat calmly across from him. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

He turned off his phone.

"Is there a problem?" the woman asked.

Without looking at her, Squall picked up his gunblade and began fastening it to his belt. For once in his life, he was indebted to Zell. No matter how rude he had been, the woman just wouldn't get the message and leave him alone. She had asked him a lot of questions about Garden and SeeD. Judging from the sound of her voice, he figured she was pretty young and oblivious it would seem, to the significant things in life. Ignorance was something Squall became irritated with easily.

"SeeD business." Squall said sharply. "I have to go."

"I understand. I won't keep you," she said while standing up. "Official SeeD business… sounds pretty exciting."

To his surprise, she walked past him without waiting for a response. "Good luck with your mission!" she called back to him.

Squall watched her as she left. _If I had just asked her to leave in the first place she probably would've done it…_He shrugged it off and threw money on the table to pay for his drink. Walking towards to the entrance of Balamb, he found himself moving rather slowly since he had left the café. The stress and frustration he had experienced from the mission was suddenly returning. Had it left him earlier? When?

Frowning, he searched his memory and remembered a moment when he had felt strangely… tranquil. Was it because of her? A look of doubt crossed his face. Was it the things she talked about? No. That had annoyed him. There was just something about her voice that had made him feel calm; relaxed… and he never even realized it was happening.

Before Squall could ponder his thoughts further, he heard an argument happening outside the Balamb entrance. He neared the entrance and lingered by the gas station, trying to casually catch a glimpse of what was happening outside.

He narrowed his eyes when he saw two Galbadian soldiers and the person he immediately recognized as the cloaked girl who had sat down with him.

"What do you know, little lady?" one of them asked. "What's this huge secret that Balamb Garden has?"

She shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about."

The other soldier reached forward and grabbed her roughly by the forearm. "Where were you going anyway, huh? You look a little shady to me in that get up. Why aren't you showing your face?"

Squall reached behind him by reflex and wrapped a hand firmly around the handle of his gunblade. _Guess Zell will have to wait a little longer… _As he walked out towards them, the soldier grasping the women's forearm pushed it away hard, sending her stumbling to the ground.

"HEY!" Squall protested, readying his weapon. "What the hell are you doing?"

The soldiers, recognizing the Commander of Balamb Garden instantly, backed away in silence.

Still holding his weapon out infront of him, he walked to where the woman lay disoriented on the ground. "You okay?" he asked over his shoulder.

"umm… yeah." she responded slowly. Sitting up, the hood she wore fell behind her shoulders as she lifted her head. In that instant, Squall finally saw the face that was kept hidden in the shadows.

He stared down at her…stunned. Shaken and scared from the assault, she stared back up at him in surprise of his sudden intensity. Shiny, black hair, with hints of gold, cascaded down her face and rested against her slender shoulders. Pale and porcelain-like, her face held perfect, rose-kissed cheeks and strawberry colored lips. Her eyes, deep brown and mysterious… penetrated him. He couldn't tare his eyes away from hers.

In the midst of his distraction, the two Galbadian soldiers quickly advanced on him. Squall, sensing them approach, quickly snapped back to reality and swung his blade up to block their attack. Standing in front of the fallen girl to further protect her, he fought one soldier with his gunblade and pushed the other way with his free arm.

Shocked at the young Commander's ability to fight them in unison, the two Galbadian soldiers got up and fled after Squall had promptly thrown both of them to the ground. He slowly lowered his weapon as he watched them leave with disgust. _Idiots._

Squall turned around to see the girl staring intently at him from where she still lay on the ground. There was something almost critical about her stare: as if she were silently evaluating him. He walked over to her and outstretched his hand. "Can you get up?"

Without a word, she placed her petite, slender hand into his. He could feel her warmth even through the heavy material of his leather glove. Effortlessly, he lifted her up to her feet and quickly released her hand after he had done so.

"I think I'm okay," she said finally. "Thank you."

As she began to dust herself off, he took it as an opening for him to leave. Sheathing his gunblade once more, he began to walk away.

"Did I make you late for your 'SeeD business'?" she asked suddenly.

He stopped without turning around. There was just something about the way she looked that stirred something in him. Being uncomfortable with the unfamiliar, he chose not to look at her. "You are now." Squall stated bluntly as he continued to walk.

She smiled in response to his rude exterior. Clearly amused by Squall's behavior, she began following him slowly. Sensing her behind him, he turned sharply on her. "What are you doing?" he demanded.

"I was just going to ask—" she said with a giggle. "You never told me your name."

He frowned and told her hesitantly. "Squall."

She stared at him thoughtfully. "Squall… as in Squall Leonhart? The Commander?"

"I really don't care much for the title."

"Sometimes you can't escape it… " she said quietly. She quickly shook her head. "I'm sorry! I'm being very rude. My name's Rinoa."

She extended her hand. To his surprise, he reached back and accepted the handshake; something he did very rarely.

"Pleased to meet you, Squall."

He nodded in response. "I've still got to get going."

Rinoa released his hand. "Oh, right! I'm sorry for keeping you." She waved her hand and began walking towards the town entrance. "I guess I'll just head back inside…"

Squall was about to continue on his way when he made note of the peculiar way Rinoa was walking. "Are you going to be okay…?" he called to her.

She turned around, almost stumbling as she did so. "I am. Why do you ask?"

"Why are you limping?"

Looking down, she suddenly looked embarrassed. "Oh, it's nothing. Just a scratch from the fall."

_Just a scratch…?_

He could tell she was trying to hide it, but blood was clearly dripping down from a rather large cut on the side of her leg. _I guess I should help considering what just happened to her… _Glancing down at his watch, he walked over to where she stood and inspected her leg.

"You should have a doctor look at that. There's none here. You'll have to come to Garden with me."

Rinoa tilted her head questionably at him. "What about your SeeD mission?"

"I'll just drop you off at the infirmary. It's not a big deal." Squall turned his back and gestured for her to follow. "Although I might have some trouble getting you though the gates."

"Why is that?" she asked, limping after him as fast as she could to catch up to his fast pace.

"Security issues. You're not a student or a SeeD."

"I see…" she laughed pleasantly to herself in wonderment. "Maybe I could join as soon as I get down here!"

_Yeah, whatever... _"Can you even fight?" Squall asked skeptically.

"I have ways of taking care of myself." Rinoa replied simply. "But I like to avoid conflict. I don't believe in needless bloodshed."

_That's why she was looking at me all weird when I beat up those soldiers…_

He shrugged. "Then I guess you could never join SeeD. We have our own definitions of 'needless' when it comes to bloodshed."

From this corner of his eye, he noticed her looking at him. Her eyes, rather than being judgmental, were now reflecting a sort of silent acceptance. She understood his disposition and wouldn't bother questioning it.

As they walked the long stretch from the town of Balamb to Balamb Garden, Squall had found himself walking at a slower pace so Rinoa wouldn't further injure herself trying to keep up with him. Surprised at himself, he again felt the same tranquility he had experienced before. As Rinoa spoke and commented on just about everything, Squall didn't care to reply much, but was in fact, listening intently to the melodic tone of her voice. Occasionally, he would turn to glance at her as she talked. Something about her features captivated him. Refusing to admit it to himself, he would promptly look away and stare straight ahead.

When they neared the front gates of Balamb Garden, Rinoa suddenly grew silent. She was in awe of the vast building and its different shades of glowing blue lights. She turned slowly in a circle, staring in amazement. Squall left her in her fascination and walked towards the guard on duty.

"Commander Leonhart, sir!" he saluted as Squall approached.

"I have a civilian who needs Dr. Kadowaki's assistance."

"But… Commander, we're not permitted to have civilians on the grounds unless they're clients."

"That's right." came a voice from behind the guard. A member of the Garden faculty appeared and shook his head. "You know the rules, Squall."

"If I may insist, sir. She was attacked by Galbadian soldiers and has a serious looking injury on her leg." Squall informed, saluting the Garden faculty member.

Both the guard on duty and the faculty member looked past him to where Rinoa stood timidly. "I don't see anything wrong with her." The faculty member stated firmly.

The guard, who was now staring at Rinoa wide-eyed, let a smile creep onto his face. "That goes literally too… I mean, wow!"

Squall ignored him and frowned at the faculty member. "What are you talking about? There's a gash on the side of her leg…" he turned around to look at her. "…There's blood all over—" He froze in bewilderment. Rinoa stood perfectly still from a distance, watching them with an unreadable expression on her face. Her leg was perfect. There was no blood, and no injury. _How the hell…?_

Calmly, she approached them and stood at Squall's side. "He was going to try sneak me in unnoticed." she said suddenly.

Perplexed, he frowned at her questionably. _What is she doing?_

"I'm Sorceress Rinoa. I believe Headmaster Cid is expecting me. The first day of the alignment is almost here so I suggest you let me in."

The faculty member opened his eyes wide with surprise and excitement. "You're…? Yes, yes! Come in! I'll inform Headmaster Cid of your arrival!"

Rinoa walked through the gates and turned to smile at Squall. He stared back at her speechless; a look of astonishment plastered on his face.

"Thanks, Squall."

With a wink, she casually walked past him.

* * *

**Authors note: **Yes, Zell was under the influence. He only saw Fuujin (hence: eye patch/silver hair) I'll elaborate on this later but Rinoa didn't "cut" herself to trick Squall. She actually did get injured from the assault but because her body is kept stable by spiritual energy, she heals faster. 


	3. Chapter 5 and 6

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Chapter 5: **Pay Close Attention**  
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Rinoa stood perfectly still next to Headmaster Cid as he continued the declaration speech. Hands clasped nervously in front of her, she watched the crowed uneasily. They stood outside the gates of Garden in front of the entire Balamb population. It would've made anyone nervous. 

"… she will journey to the Gates of Time and defeat Ultimecia once and for all!" 

The crowd cheered. 

Rinoa watched numbly. _He seems so sure I can do it…_

She shifted her brown eyes to the ground. _The prophecy only said that I'd come. It didn't say that I'd win for sure…_

Trying her best to maintain a strong, focused composure, she stared straight ahead and kept her eyes from straying. Unintentionally, Rinoa kept looking back to the corner of her eye where she noticed him. Standing on the other side of Headmaster Cid, Squall also stood with a perfectly solemn disposition. Arms kept behind his back and a frown plastered on his expression; he seemed to be glaring at the crowd. 

_I bet he's angry at me for lying… _

Without attempting to make eye contact, Rinoa turned her eyes back to the crowd. Not realizing that as she did so, Squall's cerulean eyes quickly glanced in her direction. 

"If there are any non-believers who have yet to be convinced of our miracle, then witness now, the powers possessed by our Sorceress!" 

As Cid finished, he stepped aside and gestured for Rinoa to come forward. 

She took in a deep breath and stepped towards the center of the platform. 

Without finding it a necessity to conceal her identity, she was no longer wearing the dark cloak that had covered her face. Her hair was now free to stream gently in the breeze across her shoulders. Rinoa, with a light blue duster that touched her ankles, wore a simple dark colored ensemble underneath. She was dressed nothing like what they'd expect a typical sorceress to be wearing. She was more casual; ordinary; practically human. 

As Rinoa stepped forward, she closed her eyes deep in concentration and raised an arm high above her head. The crowd gasped as transparent white wings formed on her back and spread out far to the sides of her. She opened her eyes. They were blank, emotionless. She looked to be in a trance as she swayed slowly in an almost dream-like state. Wings still spread behind her, she walked forward slowly, staggering almost as she did so. Lowering her arm down to eye level, Rinoa pointed it out towards the crowd. Immediately, everyone turned in the direction she gestured towards. 

Screams of panic were heard all around as two giant reptiles suddenly appeared. Squall and the other members of SeeD quickly brought out their weapons and were prepared to attack when Cid raised his hand, signally them to let Rinoa continue. The crowd began to separate, leaving a distinct pathway between the lizards and the sorceress. She didn't even seem to realize they were there as she continued to sway slightly, seemingly disoriented. 

Almost immediately, the two lizards charged in her direction. Spectators quickly dodged out of the way as the green colored beasts jumped past them and practically flew to where Rinoa stood. Squall gritted his teeth as he debated with himself on defying orders. Holding out his gunblade, he was preparing himself on running forward when Rinoa suddenly lifted her arm back in the air. Almost effortlessly, a blast of energy seemed to spark from her hand just as the two lizards neared but a mere couple feet from where she stood. The wave of energy engulfed the monsters and they disintegrated almost instantly. 

There was silence. The crowd was in awe. 

Rinoa slowly regained her composure as the wings on her back faded. Her eyes returned to normal as she blinked rapidly to restore her focus. 

The crowd began to cheer. 

She bowed at them tiredly and stepped back. Rinoa had suddenly appeared exhausted. Cid stepped forward and returned to addressing the audience. "A banquet will be held tonight in celebration of Sorceress Rinoa's arrival!" he yelled over the excitement. "Everyone is permitted access on Garden grounds to attend!" 

As the spectators continued to cheer, several staff members of Garden quickly stepped to Rinoa's side and began escorting her off the platform. Squall stood stiffly, arms folded across his chest. _What's the big deal…? I could've killed off those things in a second by myself. _Far from being impressed, he watched as they took her away. _She had… wings though. I guess there's no doubting she's a sorceress._

He remembered when the angelic white wings had extended from her back. As they spread out, one had unfolded right in front of him. The sheer blanket of feathers had been just out of his reach… 

Confused, he wondered why he couldn't shake the image out of his head. 

* * *

"Zell, are you still angry about what happened?"

"Angry? Heck no! Embarrassed is more like it." 

Irvine chuckled and took a sip of from his champagne glass. "Next time, go easy on the drinks before making a snap decision." 

Zell sighed and rested an arm on the other boy's shoulder. "It just seems ironic that I went chasing after a women who was Sorceress Rinoa's complete opposite." 

"You mean Fujin? The Captain of the Galbadian army? She's a lot closer to being a sorceress than Rinoa is." Irvine paused to take another sip of his drink. "She's an evil woman. You're lucky she didn't kick you in the face for jumping her." 

"Yeah, yeah…" Zell muttered. "See Squall anywhere?" 

Irvine tilted his head in the Commander's direction. Squall stood leaning against one of the large marble pillars in the room, casually sipping on a glass of champagne. "Avoiding everyone as usual. You'd think he'd be happy that he found the sorceress." 

It was the night of celebration for Sorceress Rinoa's arrival. Everyone in Balamb, as well as other neighboring towns, had come to attend. But because the Garden and its ballroom were only so big, a crowd had began to form outside of the main entrance. People arrived from all over baring gifts and prayers, hoping to at least see, if not meet, the young women who would save their lives. 

Zell couldn't help but laugh. "He doesn't even flinch when he's around Rinoa while every other guy in Balamb's already fallen in love with her." 

Irvine nodded with a sly smile. "Hard to believe she's a sorceress. She's definitely not ugly." 

"Definitely," Zell added. "Say… where is our guest-of-honor?" 

Scratching the back of his neck, Irvine scanned the room. "I think she's still outside. You know, meeting with the people who couldn't get in?" 

"Man, this place is the most packed and she's not even here!" Zell shifted uncomfortably in his place. Once again he was forced into wearing his formal SeeD uniform. "Think I'll go talk to Squall. Be right back!" 

"You do that," Irvine replied. "I'm gonna look around for Selphie. That girl is sexy in uniform!" 

Zell laughed and ran across the ballroom to where Squall stood rigidly. "Yo! S'up, Squall?" 

The young Commander looked up at him tiredly from his glass, but didn't respond. 

"Heh-heh, I guess you're cranky cause I almost sent you after the wrong person, huh? But hey you found her yourself, right? So put it there, man." After rubbing it against his shirt, Zell extended his hand to him. Squall eyed his hand momentarily and went back to sipping his drink, a small smirk forming on his lips. 

Zell chuckled and shook his head. "Hah, even if you aren't mad, you're still the same." "Well, that's typical of you," he said, turning to leave. "See ya!" 

Squall nursed his drink as he shifted his attention to the skylight, bored of watching the dancing couples in front of him. As one of the top authority figures in Balamb Garden, he was expected to attend the event. Forced to, even. He would've rather stayed in his room. 

Watching the skylight, a shooting star streaked itself across then night sky, grabbing his attention. 

"Pretty, isn't it?" 

Squall turned and to his surprise, Rinoa was standing next to him. 

"What?" 

She smiled at him and pointed a finger to the sky. "The shooting star. Pretty, isn't it?" 

He shrugged. "Whatever." 

As he tried to remain aloof, he couldn't help but take notice of the way Rinoa was dressed. She wore a short, cream-colored dress that hugged her shapely figure. Surprisingly, he found his eyes wandering over her when she glanced away, slightly discouraged by his cold behavior. 

She quickly turned back as if receiving her second wind. "Dance with me?" 

Squall frowned slightly without responding. _She should already know the answer to that. _

Rinoa ignored his silence. She wasn't going to give up so easily. "I know you must not like me very much, Squall. And you'll probably only dance with someone you do…" She brought her hand up to his face and waved it in a circular motion. "So how about this? You're-going-to-like-me... You're-going-to-like-me..." She giggled coyly. "Did it work?" 

Squall looked at her oddly, amused by her playful attitude. "I can't dance." 

This time it was Rinoa's turn to frown. "Yeah, I can't either. What's that got to do with it?" 

_Is she for real…? _"It kind of has everything to do with it." 

"Well," she said slowly, casually scraping her white heel against the ballroom floor. "I've never had the opportunity to dance like this before. Looks like you haven't either. So…" Without warning, she reached forward and grabbed his wrist. "Let's just pretend we know what we're doing! We'll make it up as we go along!" 

Before Squall knew what was going on, the pushy brunette was already dragging him to the middle of the dance floor. "What are you doing!? We're just going to embarrass ourselves!" he protested in a hiss. 

She smiled at him from over her shoulder. "Hey, if we go down, we go down together, right?" Rinoa stopped suddenly, causing Squall to bump into her. Quickly, she took hold of his hands. After placing one on the side of her waist, she took the other and entwined his fingers between hers. Everyone in the large, elegant ballroom seemed to stop and stare as the Commander of Balamb Garden and the beautiful young Sorceress danced awkwardly together in the center of the dance floor. 

"Ow!" Rinoa yelped through her laughter as Squall clumsily stepped on her foot. "Okay, we don't have to go with the music! Let's just…" She slowed her pace and moved closer to Squall. Wrapping her arm tighter around his neck, she pressed her cheek up against his. "This is a bit easier. There's something I have to talk to you about, Squall." 

Squall wasn't sure how to react as he felt the warmth of her body pressing against him. He had never been that intimately close to a woman before in his life. It was an almost surreal experience; he felt comfortable and yet, uncomfortable at the same time. The feelings he had been experiencing ever since he met Rinoa were completely foreign to him, and as a result, they were pushed away more in his confusion. 

"Why are you holding onto me like this?" he asked. 

With her cheek still against his, she brought her rose-colored lips to his ear. "I don't want anyone else to hear. Do you know where the 'secret area' is? I overheard some people talking about it today." 

He nodded. "Inside the training center. It's where students secretly meet up after curfew." 

"Would you meet me there later?" she asked. "I'd like to talk to you about something…" 

"Can't you just tell me now?" 

"That was my intention, but unfortunately…" Rinoa pulled away to face him and shifted her mahogany eyes quickly to the left and back again. Squall turned around and followed her gaze. Approaching them was a small group of Balamb citizens who had just been permitted access into the Garden. 

The two of them quickly separated and Rinoa stepped forward, bowing at them politely. They handed her gifts and began talking all at once. 

"Rinoa, please watch over my family." 

"Please don't let Ultimecia harm my children, Rinoa." 

She could only nod at them in reassurance. "I'll do my best." 

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed the Commander turning to leave. 

"Squall…" she called to him. 

He stopped and looked back at her from over his shoulder. "I'll… see you in a bit." 

* * *

Running full speed towards the abnormally huge wasp, Squall jumped in the air and slashed it across the gut with his gunblade. The wasp screamed at him in fury and swiped at him one last time before falling to the ground. He dodged the attack easily and ran deeper into the artificial jungle, searching for another monster to challenge.

It was a little after midnight and curfew was in effect. The training center was the only place open after hours and Squall had arrived some time after the banquet had ended. He hadn't seen Rinoa anywhere so he decided to get little practice in to kill time. 

Much to his surprise, he soon found himself standing smack-dab in the middle of a family of Gnats; large, green, plant-like monsters. He cursed to himself but readied his weapon anyway. There were at least eight of them, but he was never one to back down from adversity. 

The monsters surrounded Squall and just as he was about to strike the one closest to him, a figure in light blue emerged from the woods. In a blur of white, he caught a glimpse of crystalline wings, as Rinoa seemed to jump over the Gnats and to his side. The wings vanished and she stood by him with her back to his. 

"Want some help?" she asked breathless. 

"Not really. Were you just going to blast them away?" 

Rinoa shook her head. "Waste of energy. Besides, where's the fun in that?" 

"Exactly what I as thinking," Squall agreed. "But I thought you didn't believe in 'needless bloodshed'?" 

She raised her arm in the air, revealing a projectile-like blaster edge attached to her forearm. "We all have our own definitions of 'needless' when it comes to bloodshed." Though she couldn't see it with their backs turned, Squall couldn't help but smile slightly at the fact that she had quoted him. 

"Humans, no. The monsters that seek to harm humans…" She aimed her weapon. "…Sometimes." Releasing her weapon, she sent a sharp disc hurling towards one of the Gnats. In one quick motion, it sliced through the monster's side and back to where Rinoa stood. She caught it effortlessly in midair and snapped it back onto her forearm. The monster hissed and hunched itself over from the pain. Momentarily, it ceased to move. 

"Not bad," commented Squall. "Think you can handle more?" 

"Sure. Do you want to make a game out of it?" 

"A game…?" 

"To see who can kill off the most in the shortest amount of time." 

"You're kidding me." 

"Too late. I accept the wager!" With that, Rinoa ran forward and fired her weapon at another Gnat. Now wearing her usual ensemble, the light blue duster flapped behind her as she skillfully dodged the Gnat's snapping, vine-like arms. 

Squall ran forward in the opposite direction. Holding out his weapon, he sliced it past two Gnats and quickly made his way toward another. "But I didn't wager anything!" he yelled over his shoulder. 

Rinoa jumped onto a boulder and flipped herself in the air to catch her weapon as it flew back. After she had landed safely back on the ground she yelled back at him. "That's okay! You don't always have to do things properly, right?" 

After Squall had killed off another Gnat, he frowned to himself in confusion. _No one's ever said THAT to me before… _

Glancing in her direction, he watched as she carefully aimed her weapon at another approaching enemy. His eyes narrowed when he noticed another monster coming up from behind her. Rinoa didn't seem to sense it advancing. 

Squall darted quickly in her direction and brought his weapon down hard on the Gnat behind her, slicing it in half with one quick motion just as Rinoa successfully killed off the Gnat that was in front of her. She turned around in surprise when she realized what he had just done. 

"You need to pay attention more," he told her sternly. 

Just as he finished those words, Rinoa raised her weapon in the air and fired at a Gnat that was approaching Squall from behind. The monster was instantly thrown back from the assault. She giggled and elevated an arm in the air to catch her weapon as it flew back at her. "You were saying?" 

Rolling his eyes, he caught Rinoa's weapon in midair before she had a chance to. "Very funny," he muttered as he tossed the metal disc to her. 

Walking toward a slight clearing, Squall lifted several branches out of the way and gestured towards it with his gunblade. "Secret area's past here." 

Nodding, she clasped her weapon back into place and walked into the clearing Squall had opened up for her. Once there, she saw a narrow metal walkway. A small, out of the way exit door for the training center stood at the very end. They walked in silence across it. 

When they finally reached the half open door, Rinoa immediately felt a rush of cool air pass her by. Squall opened the heavy metal door for her, revealing what looked to be a balcony that overlooked most of Balamb Garden. She gasped at the breathtaking sight. Though everyone was most likely asleep, the Garden itself seemed to possess a life of its own during the midnight hours. Its neon blue lights seemed to reach out to her in its quest to brighten the night sky. 

Squall didn't seem to notice it as he walked to the edge of the steel roof. Turning his back on the view, he propped his arms up behind him on the metal railing. "So talk," he said quickly, purposely emphasizing his impatience. 

Rinoa, still taking in the view, strolled to his side and leaned casually over the railing. "I wanted to apologize to you, Squall." 

"For what?" 

"About the other night… I should've told you who I was. I didn't mean to hide it from you like that." 

He raised his head and looked towards the sky. "Don't worry about it." 

Rinoa turned to face him, her eyes fixated on the ground. "It's just… you seem so angry about it." 

Squall quickly shook his head, letting strands of his bronze-colored hair fall into his face. "I'm not angry," he said simply, casually brushing the strands to the side. "But it would've been easier for you just to tell me rather than fake an injury." 

She brought her eyes up in surprise. "Fake? No, no. I didn't fake it." Looking back over the railing, she sighed. "It's just this body I was given… I can get injured like everyone else and feel pain like everyone else… only I heal faster." She giggled softly to herself. "I guess I should apologize for that too." 

"Don't bother," he said shortly. "I understand what you had to do." 

Satisfied, Rinoa propped her arms on the railing and rested the side of her head against them. It was a fair enough answer. "How long have you lived here, Squall?" she asked suddenly, changing the subject. 

He returned his gaze to the sky overhead and searched his memory. "As long as I can remember. I came here as soon I was old enough to leave the orphanage." 

She raised her head in interest. "What happened to your parents?" 

"I don't know." 

"You don't remember them?" 

"Not really." 

"I guess I can relate," she said looking away. "I've never had real parents either." _Except…_

Squall turned around and let his arms rest on the railing alongside her. "Rinoa?" 

"Yeah?" 

"Where is it… you come from?" 

Smiling thoughtfully to herself, she leaned against the steel railing and pointed imprecisely to the sky. "Somewhere out there," she said simply. "I was never too sure myself." 

A look of skepticism crossed Squall's face. "So how exactly did you get here?" 

"I don't know." 

"You don't remember?" 

"Not really." 

He was about to question her further when he noticed her trying to muffle her laughter. He scowled when he realized Rinoa was giving him the exact same answers he had given her earlier and in an identical tone of voice. 

_Fine. If she doesn't want to tell me, I won't bother._

As she continued to giggle, he looked away in annoyance. "Are you finished?" he asked with a sigh. "It's getting late." 

Rinoa immediately stifled her laughter and smoothed back the strands of black hair that had fallen over her face. "Sure, lead the way. Actually…" she paused to adjust her weapon. "Feel like going for another round?" 

Squall frowned at her questionably. "What are y—" 

"Great! Same wager as before!" She flung open the rusty, metal door and ran immediately towards the woods. He watched her run off… dumbfounded. 

"Come on, Squall!" she called over her shoulder. 

After Rinoa had completely vanished into the woods, he quickly grabbed his gunblade and began chasing after her into the heavily forested area. Convinced that it was purely out of competition, not concern.  
  
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Chapter 6: **The Alley**  
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"This is for you, Rinoa," a young Garden student said as he handed the yellow flower to the Sorceress. "Thank you for coming to fight for us." 

Rinoa smiled gratefully and held the delicate object to her nose, taking in its sweet fragrance. "Thank you very much," she said with a bow. "It's beautiful." 

The young boy nodded and quickly moved to the side so yet another student could present her with a gift. 

Quistis, who had been taking a walk with Rinoa that afternoon, waited patiently by her side. _I wonder what it'll be like AFTER she defeats Ultimecia… _"You've become popular pretty fast," she joked. 

Rinoa, now holding a small bouquet in her arms, smiled up at the older blonde. "It would seem that way." 

"Looks like you have a bigger fan club than Squall." 

Rinoa laughed in surprise. "I didn't know he had one." 

"It consists mostly of girls obviously. The more he rejects them, the more attracted they are to him. It's a mystery to me." 

"Oh… why does he reject them?" 

"I guess because…" Quistis paused to search the back of her mind. "…He's not really looking for anyone. Squall's always been kind of a loner." 

Nodding as Quistis spoke, Rinoa frowned slightly to herself. _I don't even know why I'm asking about it… It shouldn't even concern me in the first place…_

"You've been here for several days now, haven't you? Made any close friends yet?" 

"Well, there's you," Rinoa pointed out with a smile. "Also Irvine and Zell. They were the only ones to start a real conversation with me at the banquet. And just the other day I was admiring the decorations in the quad and I met Selphie. She had so much to so say about the upcoming Garden Festival… I really admire her vision." She paused then, looking down at her feet as they shifted against the pavement. "Squall I've gotten to know too, except…" 

"…He doesn't really fit into the 'friend' category." Quistis finished for her. 

Rinoa nodded. "Has he always been like that?" 

"You mean 'cold', 'selfish', and 'broody'? We thought he'd eventually grow out of the whole isolation phase, but he seems pretty content that way." She rested a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "Just remember that if he says anything rude, he doesn't really do it to intentionally hurt your feelings. It's just the way he is sometimes. We've all learned to adjust." 

"I see…" 

As the two girls turned the corner, they saw Headmaster Cid walking down the hall in their direction. 

"Oh, Rinoa!" he called out suddenly as he looked up from the folder he was carrying. "How are you finding everything here?" 

"Good afternoon, Headmaster Cid," she acknowledged with a bow. "Everything's perfect. I love it here." 

"Very good! Keep in mind we're having a strategy meeting tomorrow concerning your journey. The first day of the alignment is in several days. We must prepare soon." 

"Yes, of course," Rinoa said as she casually looked past him to where the front gates of the Garden were in her view. "Umm… Headmaster Cid?" 

"Yes?" 

"I'd really love to go out today. Maybe go into town?" 

Cid looked at her surprised. "Into town? But Rinoa… surely word has spread about your arrival! I'm almost positive Galbadia has heard by now… We're quite concerned about the assassins they may initially send after you…" 

"I'm sure she'll be okay…" Quistis suddenly spoke up. "Just as long as she's with bodyguards." She laughed softly. "And if there are assassins, I'm sure they'd have to be careful of HER. I mean, with those powers and all." 

Rubbing the back of his neck with uncertainty, Cid sighed. "Well… I do hate to keep you locked away now. Especially since you'll be leaving on the journey soon." He stopped to straighten his glasses. "Go ahead then. I'll send some of the high-ranking SeeDs with you for protection." 

Rinoa immediately smiled with delight. "Thank you, sir!" 

Cid nodded hesitantly and began walking past them. "Be very careful though!" he warned over his shoulder. 

"Will you be coming with me, Quistis?" Rinoa asked, turning to the older girl. 

Quistis shook her head. "I'd love to, Rinoa, but I have a class to teach. I'm sure you'll be safe with whoever Cid assigns." 

* * *

__

_I knew it… _Squall thought bitterly._ I knew I'd end up babysitting her. _

Squall, Zell and Selphie had been appointed Rinoa's bodyguards for the day. While Selphie and Zell were grateful for having received a day-off to spend time in Balamb, Squall had been rather annoyed at the fact that he had been pulled away from his training. 

Making it her business to be Rinoa's tour guide, Selphie kept close her side while Squall and Zell lingered behind to keep an eye on the area. Noticing Squall's resentment of the situation, Zell slapped him hard on the back. "Loosen up, man! We aren't doing any real work today." 

Frowning at Zell's playful abuse, he pushed the blonde away to maintain his distance. "Just keep your eyes open." 

"What for? Rinoa can take care of herself. If anyone attacks her, she can just blow them up!" 

"No, she can't," Squall said sharply. "It's not her will to fight humans. Anyone who thinks that way can't take care of themselves." 

"Oh…" Zell said as he lowered his voice. "Does she… judge us for that? I mean, we kind of make a living out of it." 

"Surprisingly, no." Squall answered slowly. He looked straight ahead and watched her as she laughed at something Selphie told her. "She never says anything to make you feel bad about it." 

Zell looked at him curiously. "How do you know all this exactly?" 

Ignoring his question, Squall continued staring straight ahead. His sapphire eyes darted around when he realized Rinoa was no longer in sight. 

"Shit… Where the hell did they go!?" 

Zell, who had just tuned in, began turning around frantically and standing on his tiptoes to see over the crowd in front of them. "Whoa! This place got really crowded all of a sudden! I can't see them anywhere!" 

Squall began pushing his way into the crowd and was suddenly smashed into by Selphie. Breathless, she rested her hands on her knees and tried to speak between gulps of air. 

"Where's Rinoa?" Squall asked impatiently. 

"I don't… know…" the tired girl managed to breathe out. "Things got really busy. I turned around… and… she was just… gone!" 

"Where did you last see her, Selph?" Zell asked. 

"See where all those people are shopping? In there somewhere!" 

_Great…_"Let's go then." Squall ordered as he continued clawing his way into the crowd. 

* * *

Pushed roughly against the alley wall, Rinoa tried to shake off the hand that was clasped tightly around her wrist. She was exceedingly confused. One minute she had been walking with Selphie, the next she had been grabbed roughly by the arm and was pulled quickly into one of the emptier streets of Balamb.

"Galbadia doesn't look kindly on those who threaten Sorceress Ultimecia!" a deep voice hissed. 

As Rinoa's eyes adjusted to the dim light, she noticed several men standing around her. "Let go," she warned quietly. 

One of them laughed. "What are you gonna do? Use your powers on us? We've heard the stories… you don't fight people!" 

She backed up timidly against the wall behind her. "I don't know what you're talking about," she whispered. 

The other man released her wrist and ran his hand down the side of her neck. "We're Galbadians, we're not stupid. You know, they said you'd be pretty..." Rinoa jerked away from his touch. Immediately, the man slammed his hand back under her chin. "It's a real shame we have to do this, but you give us no choice." Holding Rinoa against the wall by her neck, he reached behind him as one of his companions handed him a dagger. "This is for Ultimecia." 

He lifted the dagger high above his head. Rinoa shut her eyes and waited for the deadly penetration… but none arrived. She quickly opened her eyes when she heard the man yell out in surprise. 

The man stood struggling as Squall held back his wrist. With one quick motion, the young Commander bent back the man's arm, dislocating it instantly. As he fell over in pain, Squall casually walked past him and stood protectively in front of Rinoa with his gunblade out infront of him. 

"If you even touch her, I'll rip you apart." Squall threatened. 

He was quickly joined by Zell and Selphie. They stood ready in their fighting stances but knew it was no regular fight. The men in the alley were high-ranking Galbadian soldiers in disguise. They held at their disposal, weapons that no ordinary Galbadians would possess. 

The leader of the squad stood up, cursing silently as he grasped his arm. With an odd smile on his face, he gripped his elbow and jerked his arm up, popping the bone back into place. 

"You don't know what you're dealing with, kid," he told the Commander darkly. "There's ten of us and three of you. Just hand her over." 

"Not a chance!" Zell hissed. "Bring it on!" 

Selphie swallowed nervously. She couldn't fake confidence as well as Squall and Zell this time. They had always avoided fighting the higher-ranking Galbadians. They were no where near as easy to defeat as the regular soldiers. 

The leader, still holding onto the dagger, began mockingly tapping Squall's gunblade with it. The other men laughed. 

With a small smirk on his face, Squall pressed the trigger on his gunblade, sending a small, fiery explosion in the man's face. He was thrown back instantly into the man standing behind him. This time, the only one laughing was Zell. 

Furious, the squad leader rose quickly to his feet and gestured for the others to advance. In an instant, it was an all out brawl between the two sides. 

Rinoa watched from the sidelines, expressionless to the events that unfolded in front of her. Squall, Zell and Selphie fought bravely for her sake even though they were grossly outnumbered. She could feel their pain with every strike they bore. 

Suddenly, a splash of blood scattered across the pavement by her feet. Her eyes widened when she realized Squall had received a deep cut through his shoulder. He ignored the pain continued on. 

_There's too many of them… they'll be killed…_

Rinoa clenched her fist as the fight raged on. She really had no prior knowledge to their capabilities... could Squall and the others win against such odds? From the corner of her eye, she saw Zell being kicked to the ground. His face was scrawled with blood from the cuts on his lip. Even though fatigue was against him, Zell got up quickly and continued to fight. 

Rinoa couldn't watch anymore. By the second, more and more blood was being splattered around her; a horrifying symphony of red. 

"STOP!!" 

A white light burst from her as her wings unfolded. The light engulfed them as they stopped fighting to shield their eyes. 

Squall struggled to see, but the white light seared his vision. Everything around him went quiet. Finally, the light began to fade. As he stood, he placed a gloved hand to his shoulder with surprise. The gash on his shoulder had been healed. All that remained was the rip in his jacket and the blood-soaked fabric. 

_Did Rinoa do this…?_

Narrowing his eyes to see past the slowly disintegrating white light, he saw her. Rinoa stood seemingly exhausted. The wings had vanished. She swayed unsteadily, just as she had when she defeated the two lizards at the proclamation. Her eyes remained hauntingly blank as she stumbled forward. 

Squall ran quickly to her and caught her before she hit the ground. "Hey!" he called to her. "Rinoa! Are you okay?" He placed an arm under her neck and placed her gently in his lap. Rinoa's eyes were now closed, but he could still feel her breathing. 

Looking around, he finally saw what she had done. 

Zell and Selphie stood unsteadily. They were now completely conscious and free of injury. Past them; however, the Galbadian soldiers lay still. Rinoa had sacrificed her beliefs and her energy to keep her friends from harm. The Galbadian soldiers were dead. Rinoa had killed them all. 

They walked silently to where Squall sat. Selphie kneeled by his side and brushed the strands of hair out of Rinoa's face. 

"Wow…" she murmured softly. "She did it to save us…" 

Squall looked away bitterly. He felt ashamed of his failure. 

_She… had to save…us…_

The alley darkened then. He looked up as rain began to fall softly from above. 

* * *

**Authors note: **To be honest, I felt that I rushed these chapters... not good P But I also made it my goal to finish at least two chapters every week... haha... so... you know. How do you like Rinoa's character? I wanted her to be a non-fighter, but I didn't want her portrayed as "weak" either (hence the scene in the training centre) So basically, she IS capable of taking care of herself, but hurting mankind isn't something she does (haha which didn't last long.. she's already been pushed over the edge) The story's no where close to being finished :D I have so many CRAZZYYY ideas! 


	4. Chapter 7 and 8

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa  
  
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Chapter 7: **A Silent Oath**  
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"She's comatose." 

Squall flinched but kept his eyes on the ground. 

Quistis, Irvine, Selphie, Zell and himself were standing outside the infirmary as Dr. Kadowaki spoke of Rinoa's condition. 

"She used up almost all the energy she had in that fight," explained the doctor shaking her head. "The rush was too intense. She's completely drained." 

"So…" Quistis began slowly. "What can we do?" 

"Nothing," Dr. Kadowaki stated bluntly. "After enough time she should regain her strength. Maybe then she'll wake up. It's amazing that she's even alive now…" 

"Why is that?" asked Irvine. 

"If she were a regular human being she'd be dead by now. There's no way a human life could withstand that amount of energy passing through them." 

Selphie pressed her hands against the glass window of the medical room. "Can we see her?" 

"Yes, you can now. Follow me—" Just as Dr. Kadowaki turned to lead them in, the announcement speaker turned on: 

"Would Dr. Kadowaki and the other SeeDs report to Headmaster Cid's office _immediately_. " 

"Must be time to make the report. Let's go. We'll visit her when we get back." The doctor said as she closed the infirmary door behind her. 

They all walked reluctantly down the hall as Squall lingered behind. 

He stood at the glass window; half watching Rinoa, half avoiding his reflection. She slept peacefully in the medical bed with her arms placed neatly at her sides; eyes unwaveringly clasped shut. Rinoa's skin was eerily pale. Only her lips retained their vibrant glow of color. 

Squall watched her with a look of puzzlement on his face. Confused as to why he couldn't make himself leave. There was still something so serene about her even as she slept. 

_Rinoa…_

He frowned at his reflection, and than back at her sleeping form. 

_Why'd you do it…?_

__

* * *

A rush of cold air surrounded them as they opened the doors to the Headmaster's office. They stepped back in surprise as a mist of dry ice buried their legs from visibility.

Squall brought out his weapon instinctively. "What's going on!?" 

"Lower your weapons!" Cid ordered from inside. "Just get inside before you cause a panic!" 

They exchanged questionable looks and walked hesitantly into the room. 

"Sir," Zell began with a slight quiver in his voice. "Did your furnace break or something?" 

"Do not refer to my presence as simply the absence of heat." A female voice snapped. 

_Who… is that?_

They stopped and waited for the mist to filter out the open door. As clarity began restoring itself, they could make out the faint outline of a woman standing before them. 

Cid walked over to them. "Don't say anything to upset her. She is very angry with us." 

"Who's 'She'?" Squall demanded in a whisper. 

"Shiva." Cid said as he attempted to conceal his voice. "Squall, you must be the one to speak to her." 

"Why me?" 

"You have her junctioned, don't you? You're the most compatible with her. She'll listen to you." 

Squall sighed and walked forward slowly. He knew he couldn't argue his way out of this chore. Then again, when could he ever? 

As he approached the women, her form became more visible. Shiva stood tall as her frigid blonde hair fell stiffly over her shoulders. Running a slender arm behind her neck, she lifted the hair out of her way. Her light blue skin sparkled as the sunlight reflected the crystal she was seemingly composed of. 

Squall stopped a few feet from the Goddess of Ice and kneeled before her. She nodded slowly at him in acknowledgement. 

"Speak, Squall," she said in a calm, and almost motherly voice. "Tell me of what misfortunes have plagued my Sorceress." 

_'Her' Sorceress…? _"She was attacked by Galbadian assassins. We were outnumbered and they overpowered us. Rinoa…" He looked up slowly to face her. "She had to save us… She hasn't woken up since." 

Shiva raised her congealed blue eyes to the others. "Are you all ungrateful? Do you not see or appreciate what she is?" 

"We do, Shiva," Selphie assured. "But there were too many—" 

"Then you were not worthy of protecting her," Shiva interrupted sharply. "It is imperative that Rinoa need not use her powers until the battle with Ultimecia. This is especially important during the Seven Day Sacrifice." 

"What's the Seven Day Sacrifice?" Squall asked her. 

"Have you not read it on the stones?" Shiva inquired raising an eyebrow. 

Cid spoke up then. "The translation was never completed." 

The Goddess shook her head in disgust but continued on. "I will explain. Sorceress Rinoa possesses all the powers of the earth and the Guardian Forces combined. I know this because I had a hand in raising her. But because we had exerted all our energy into giving her these powers, there was not enough to have her born immortal. Rinoa was unfortunately given a human body when she was created…" She scoffed. "We knew a human body could never sustain such energy, but we had no choice. If she were to journey to find the Gates of Time and protect herself along the way, her body would be exhausted. If she was lucky enough to defeat Ultimecia, there's almost no doubt that she herself would die soon after. It is an unfortunate given." 

"However," she continued before they had a chance to speak. "That is why the Seven Day Sacrifice was discovered. If, for seven days before the final alignment of the eighth star and the battle with Ultimecia, Rinoa does not use her powers, her chances of surviving afterwards will increase significantly." 

"But… this isn't a guarantee?" Squall asked quietly. 

"There are no guarantees, Squall," Shiva told him regretfully. "Just like the chance of her dying after the battle is not for sure… but it is close to certainty. We refuse to take any chances." 

She turned her attention to Headmaster Cid. "Now… do you see why it is imperative that you assign capable protectors to aid her?" 

Cid nodded timidly. "Yes, Shiva. We will be more careful from now on." 

"I should hope so…" she replied coldly. "…For the sake of your human race." 

Casually whipping her frigid locks of hair behind her, she walked gracefully forward. 

"Take me to her." 

* * *

Squall watched in silence as Shiva placed a hand over Rinoa's forehead.

He couldn't help but feel disturbed by the new revelation. Glancing at the others, he knew they felt it too. Despite the fact that there were ways of preventing it, the bottom like was that Rinoa was on a suicide mission. 

_How can she do this and still be so… optimistic? Is it really worth it to her? Is it even fair?_

So many emotions plagued him at once. He had only known Rinoa for a short time, but that didn't mean he wouldn't care if she got herself killed for their sake. She… was a friend. He actually liked to listen to whatever it was she had to say. She wasn't completely helpless; she was quite skilled at using her weapon… he couldn't help but admire her for that. 

Even now she stared death in the face with the weight of the world on her shoulders, and she would smile like it was any other day. 

_Her only purpose in life was to be sacrificed for others…but, what about her…? Why was she never guaranteed a chance?_

If the Seven Day sacrifice was all she had then he'd do it. He'd protect her with everything he had. It was the solemn oath he had made to her as she slept seemingly unaware. The light blue aura shining around her as Shiva clasped her hand. 

* * *

She opened her eyes as the rhythmic sensation of rainwater continued to fall upon her face. She was still in the alley. Buried behind the walls, the buildings… the humanity. As she lay on the cold, hard pavement, soaked in the rain that refused to cease, she blinked rapidly. Water droplets danced off her lashes as she pinned her focus on her forearm. Her fingers twitched as if after all this time, it had finally sensed the rain.

Rinoa refused to sit up. What was the point? Everyone was gone. She had been left alone in the alley. 

Stretching her fingers across the floor's abrasive surface, she rested the side of her head on her arm. 

_Squall… is this why you act so angrily towards people? Is this why you fight so willingly?_

Behind her, she heard the distant sound of footsteps approaching her. The repetitive crash of rainwater drowned out the advancing sound, but she knew it was coming. 

Rinoa felt the familiar presence of someone standing behind her. She was too tired to turn around. 

"Rinoa…" the soft, feminine voice began. 

"What happened to me, Shiva?" Rinoa asked without looking up. 

"You wore yourself out. You fell asleep." Shiva knelt down behind her and brushed the wet strands of hair from Rinoa's face. "My dearest," she said softly. "I need you to wake up now." 

"Why did they do this to me, Shiva? Why did they make me kill them…" 

"Not all humans are worth saving, Rinoa …Not by you. They want Ultimecia as their savior and they will destroy you as a result. You have no choice sometimes." 

"What if I can't do this anymore?" 

"Rinoa… why did you kill those men?" 

"Because…" she blinked slowly, allowing the rain to fall freely over her locked eyes. "Because I wanted to save my… friends…" 

"The other humans?" 

"Yes…" 

"Then," the Goddess said as she stood. "You can still do this." She backed up, watching the girl carefully. "I am lending you what strength I have so you may continue. You need to wake up now." 

* * *

With a surprised gasp of air, Rinoa sprang up from the medical bed. Squall and the others could only stare in amazement at her abrupt recovery.

Rinoa's eyes, once wide with bewilderment, were now rolling into the back of her head as she fell back as quickly as she had sat up. 

Once her head had retouched the pillow, she ceased to move. 

"Is… she okay? What was that?" Squall demanded. 

Shiva, who stood at the side of Rinoa's bed, glided her hand gently across the girl's face. "She has left her coma. Let her rest for now." 

Turning back to the others in the room, she suddenly appeared weak. 

"Are you all right?" Dr. Kadowaki asked. 

Shiva breathed heavily as her ice filled eyes began to lose their vibrancy. "No," she admitted. "I have lent my strength to Rinoa so that she may recover. I cannot do this for her again…" she shook her head. "It is naïve to think that she can go on from here and not use her powers. If there comes where she must use them prematurely, let us hope the consequence will not be as severe as this. I only hope to assume she will merely faint from exhaustion rather than fall into another coma." 

"But if she does…" Cid began slowly. "Could the other Guardian Forces help her just the same as you did?" 

"It is more complicated than that. They could all lend her their energy just as I had, but in order to do that you must be able to speak to her subconscious. She cannot accept the energy if her mind is not aware of it." 

Looking down at Rinoa as she slept, Shiva knelt weakly beside her. "Rinoa trusts me the most. Therefor, I am the only one able to reach her subconscious." She watched her hands curiously; the sparkles upon her blue skin had lost their intensity. "So you see Headmaster… that is why Rinoa must be well protected… that is why she must only use her powers when necessary… that is why she needs the Seven Day Sacrifice…" 

As Shiva's figure began to fade, she got up slowly to her feet and tried to maintain her balance. "I do not have the strength to stay here anymore…" 

A light blue aura surrounded her as she vanished in transparency. 

Her final words echoed softly just as the light vanished. 

"She can't save the world alone."  
  
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Chapter 8: **Another Form of Competition**  
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He plunged his gunblade deeper into the gut of the enraged beast, ignoring the blood as it splattered across his face. The T-Rexaur growled as it struggled to stay alive under the embedded steel. 

Losing focus, Squall watched as the growing puddle of blood under the T-Rexaur flowed around his feet. 

Removing his weapon with a sudden jerk, he stepped backwards from the puddle. The dinosaur's breathing slowed as it gradually closed its eyes. 

Squall grazed his hand across the sharp steal of his weapon, removing the blood with his glove. It was after midnight. He had been in the training center ever since Shiva had left. Between the twitch in his wrist and the growing tension upon his forehead, he felt the need to work out his frustrations in the only way he knew how. 

After a while, he had found himself searching for monsters rather than being approached by them. No one ordinarily went _looking_ for a T-Rexaur to fight. The massive dinosaurs were avoided because of their fearsome strength and known reputations to send students immediately to the Infirmary. Squall, on the other hand, discouraged from losing his battle against the Galbadians, was more than inviting the challenge. 

Wiping the blood from his brow, he closed his eyes deep in concentration. He could sense another enemy in the distance. As it moved, it shifted the forest with every mobile gesture. The leaves and branches slid across one another as if a gentle breeze were guiding their passage. The sounds, the massive footsteps… it only made him angrier. 

He opened his eyes. The burning sapphires darted in the direction of his next target. 

With both hands clutching the handle, he kept the blade to his side as he ran into the woods, slashing all that stood in his way. 

Catching up to the T-Rexaur, he swung his weapon across the beast's leg. The large dinosaur swung around in anger and quickly retaliated by snapping its jaw at the young Commander. Squall dodged the attack and quickly brought about his gunblade, slashing the dinosaur's cheek. Roaring out its anguish, the T-Rexaur whipped around and attempted to smash Squall with its massive tail. 

Squall was hit sharply in the chest as the sudden attack sent him flying into the base of a large tree trunk. He coughed and held a hand to his chest, immediately feeling the bruising pain upon his ribcage. 

The T-Rexaur began to walk away, limping from the gash Squall had left on its leg. 

Ignoring the pain in his chest, Squall got up quickly and ran towards his escaping prey. He refused to fail. 

He clutched the tail of the surprised beast and began to climb it hastily. Before the T-Rexaur could react, Squall moved quickly across its back and to the base of its neck. He raised his gunblade high above his head and plunged it deep into the T-Rexaur's flesh. It died instantly as it clumsily fell to the ground. The dust rose from the impact as Squall forced out his weapon and jumped casually from the bleeding carcass. 

Again, blood had managed to spurt across his face. Panting hard, he wiped the sleeve of his jacket over his eyes and whipped it downward to divert it off the already soaked fabric. 

_Guess that makes three…_

Holding his chest, he walked slowly from the blood-drenched scene. As the dust settled around him, he searched eagerly for another predator. Squall's frustrations had yet to be satisfied. 

He couldn't escape the guilt that plagued him mercilessly. 

_She shouldn't have felt the need to help us…_ he thought bitterly. _We should've been able to take those guys on._

Unintentionally, Squall let the tip of his gunblade touch the floor, letting it drag across the rocky surface. 

_But… even if the fight was a lost cause, why did she sacrifice herself like that? We didn't deserve it…_

He frowned in disgust of himself. 

_I didn't deserve it._

Without looking up, he swung his weapon quickly into the gut of an unsuspecting Gnat. The green monster screeched in pain from the impalement and died promptly soon after. Squall reached over and casually retrieved his weapon. 

"Did you leave any monsters for the other kids?" a voice asked behind him. 

Squall didn't turn around. 

"What are you doing here?" he asked as he wiped the blood off his gunblade. After attaching it to his belt, he turned to face her. "You should be resting in the medical room." 

Rinoa, who stood leaning against a large boulder, smiled at him with amusement. "I think I've been doing a little too much of that lately." 

"You'd be safer there," he reminded as he walked over to her. 

She watched him carefully. "Are you okay?" she asked. 

"Broken rib," he told her simply. 

Her mahogany eyes widened with surprise at his carefree attitude. "What!?" 

Squall rubbed a hand over his ribs and shrugged it off. "Wouldn't have been the first time. It's not a big deal." He walked towards the exit of the training center. "Come on. I'll walk you back." 

Rinoa stared at him in disbelief. "Yeah, but—" 

"I'll have Dr. Kadowaki take a look at me when we get there. Don't worry about it." 

She sighed and followed after him. "Dr. Kadowaki's asleep." 

"I'll wait till morning." 

He stopped when he noticed the concern on her face. "It's not fatal, Rinoa." 

She turned away in embarrassment. "I know… it's just… it seems painful." She looked back at him. "Could I help?" 

"No!" Squall turned on her sharply. "Don't use your powers, okay? Just… don't use them anymore." 

Rinoa stared up at him in surprise. "I just wanted to help…" 

He shook his head. "Don't. The first day of the alignment is tomorrow… and then your seven days." 

Walking slowly towards the gates, he left her to stare after him. She smiled softly to herself and turned her gaze to the floor. "You know the Seven Day Sacrifice is optional for the journey. You're… you're willing to help so I can—?" 

"Look," Squall began quickly as he turned to face her. "I'll… We'll take care of you, okay?" 

She could only smile at him as he spoke those words. "Thank you, Squall." 

He looked away and continued to walk. "Don't thank me. I'm the one who should apologize actually…" 

Curious, she quickened her pace and to catch up to him. "What for?" 

"About what happened in the alley," he said avoiding her gaze. "You shouldn't have had to save us and use all your energy. We should've been able to protect you." 

Rinoa shook her head quickly. "I didn't do what I did because I didn't think you could protect me. I just… wanted to protect you. Everyone was fighting and… I couldn't watch it anymore. I had to make it stop." 

He merely nodded as they walked in silence to the exit. He held open the heavy door effortlessly with his free arm; the other still clutched against his chest. 

Impressed, Rinoa accepted the gesture and walked past him. As she did so, she turned around slightly and stared out into the vast artificial jungle that was the training center. "I'm still wide-awake, Squall. Let's go for one last round!" 

Squall shook his head. "Some other time, it's getting late." 

He gave her a half-smile. 

"And I've got a broken rib, by the way." 

* * *

"Rinoa, you're awake!"

She rolled over lazily in the medical bed to the familiar voice of Dr. Kadowaki. 

Smoothing out her light blue duster, she ran a single hand through her hair and placed both feet on the floor. 

"Good morning, Dr. Kadowaki." 

As her eyes slowly adjusted to the brightness of the room, she noticed the doctor was attending a patient who sat infront of her in the next room. 

"Good morning, Squall,' she greeted. 

Squall nodded at her. "Morning." 

He sat shirtless on the medical table as the Dr. Kadowaki bandaged his stomach. Even though it was slightly covered, it was obvious to see that he had a firm, muscular body at his disposal. 

She looked away smiling to herself. _No wonder all the girls are after him…_

"Squall, I've told you a million times. Once you break something, either come see me or wait on one of the medical beds until I get here. Don't just keep on fighting like nothing's wrong," the doctor said shaking her head. "I can tell you strained this injury." 

He shrugged. "Sorry. Sometimes it's hard to back down." 

Rinoa smirked at him coyly. 

It hadn't taken much, but the two of them had ran back into the training center searching for prey. It had become a traditional game between the two; fighting back to back, they'd wait till they were completely surrounded and then fight for the highest number defeated. Squall had won obviously, but knowing that Rinoa wasn't one to keep score, he never said anything. He knew she just wanted to have fun. 

Sometime in the early morning, Squall had walked her to the Infirmary like he had originally planned. As she fell asleep on the medical bed, Squall had felt too exhausted to walk to his dorm. He sat down in the chair next to Rinoa's bed and watched her momentarily before closing his eyes and falling asleep himself. It was an oddly comfortable rest given the situation. 

"How are you feeling today, Rinoa?" Dr. Kadowaki asked. 

"Very awake!" Rinoa replied cheerfully. 

The doctor chuckled. "After what happened that's good to hear. By the way, I believe Headmaster Cid would like to see you sometime today." 

"I'm sure he would," she said gazing out the window. "Day one of the alignment is tomorrow. I can feel the stars moving." 

Squall pulled a white tank over his head and hopped off the table. "You have to start conserving your energy the day after tomorrow." He frowned to himself as he put on his leather jacket. "It all seems so complicated…" 

"How would you have liked it to be?" Rinoa asked from the window. 

"I don't know," he said as he put on his gloves. "Maybe I go to Ultimecia myself right now and stab her once through the chest. She dies and we all live annoyingly ever after." 

She giggled. _If only…_

They were interrupted suddenly when Zell burst into the room. Out of breath, he struggled to get out his words. "Squall… The… They're…" 

Lacking patience, Squall rolled his eyes. "Yes?" 

"It's… Seifer…" 

The Commander instantly narrowed his eyes. "What about him?" 

"He showed up with his whole army and took Balamb hostage! He said he isn't trying to start a war… but if he doesn't get to see Rinoa, he'll torch the town!" 

"Damnit…" Squall cursed silently. 

Rinoa turned from the window. "Who's Seifer?" 

"The General of Galbadia," Zell explained. "He said he just wants to talk." 

"Seifer never just wants to _talk_," Squall stated bitterly. "Where are they stationed?" 

"Him and some other Galbadians are outside the Garden right now. He said the rest of his army is waiting out by Balamb." 

"Okay…" Squall scanned the situation quickly in his head. "Send some SeeDs to Balamb. Make sure they go around and avoid the army. I'll take Rinoa to see Seifer. Have everyone else prepare for battle at the first sign of hostility." 

"And Headmaster Cid?" 

"I have this under control." 

"Roger!" Zell said with an over exaggerated salute. He turned to Rinoa before leaving. "Are you gonna be okay?" 

"I'll be fine," she said with a smile. "Thank you, Zell." 

He nodded and ran quickly out the door. 

"Sounds like you two have a history," Rinoa said as soon as he had left. 

Squall frowned at her questionably. "What, me and Zell?" 

"You and Seifer." 

He hesitated. "In a way…" 

Walking quickly out the Infirmary door, he gestured for her to follow. "I got scarred for life from our last battle," he said, running his fingers down his forehead. 

Rinoa nodded as she followed him. _So that's how he got that scar…_

As soon as they had neared the front gates of Balamb Garden, they could already see a large crowd in accumulation of both sides. 

Seifer stood, along with about twenty high-ranking Galbadian soldiers, on the other side of the entrance. Like Squall, his cut had also healed but as consequence, a jagged scar between his eyes was left behind. 

He smiled when he saw Squall approaching. "Lookin' good, puberty-boy." 

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Squall spat angrily. 

"Where is she?" Seifer demanded, the tone of his voice sharpening instantly in response to Squall's quick lack of conversational participation. "Where is your Sorceress?" 

Rinoa stepped forward from the crowd of Balamb cadets. She wasn't too clear on how she should approach a man like Seifer. 

Seifer stared at her in surprise at first, his eyes becoming more intense as he became instantly fixated. Rinoa's captivating features sometimes had a downside. 

"So… this is the famous Rinoa," he said as he nodded at her. "It's a pleasure, pretty girl." 

Squall glared at him. "What do you want?" 

"Relax. I'm not here to start anything." He continued to smile at Rinoa oddly. "Just wanted to see if your little rumor was true." 

Rinoa didn't speak. She was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the way Seifer was staring at her. 

The Galbadian General walked casually over to where she stood. "I can see that it is," he said as he placed a hand on the side of her cheek. "But I wouldn't dream of killing her now." 

Without giving it much thought, Squall shoved Seifer back. "Don't touch her," he threatened. 

The crowd of Galbadian soldiers instantly reacted at seeing their General assaulted. Seifer shot up an arm quickly, signally the soldiers to stay in their place. 

"Sorry," Seifer said with a smirk. "Didn't know I was on your property." 

"What are you doing, Seifer, declaring peace!?" Squall hissed. 

"I don't have to explain shit to you," the older boy snapped. "All I can tell you is you don't have to worry. I won't send anyone to kill her." 

"So you're calling off your assassins?" 

"MY assassins?" scoffed Seifer. "I can guarantee that none of Galbadia's soldiers will try anything, but I don't control the citizens. They work on their own. If they feel threatened and go after her themselves, it's not my fucking problem." 

"What the hell was the point of all this then!?" demanded Squall angrily. 

Seifer smirked and glanced at Rinoa. "I have my reasons. We'll be going now." 

He could feel Squall's intense glare burning into his back. It made him feel accomplished. As they began piling into their vehicles, Raijin, one of the captains of the Galbadian army, walked up quickly to Seifer. 

"How'd it go, Seifer?" 

He chuckled to himself and stared back at the Garden. "Incredible. I've never seen a girl like that before." 

Raijin smirked at him knowingly. "You want her, don't ya'?" 

"Everything I want, I take. Did you see what Squall did when I touched her? He wants her too. Hah! Didn't think he had it in him. That just makes her more appealing." 

"But uhh… what about her mission? She's a threat to Ultimecia, ya know?" 

"I know, dumbass, she doesn't have to be. If she were mine then she'd be with us… Ultimecia could benefit from her powers." 

"Then what are you going to do about Squall?" 

Seifer sneered. The very name made his blood boil; both in the essence of rivalry and the excitment of sheer competition. 

"Let him try and stop me." 

* * *

**Authors note: **Sorry for the wait. I usually work on this story during my free time (which I lack) but I'm a graduating this year so you know.. school comes first :D As you can see, I'm developing the relationship between Squall and Rinoa very slowly (Well, slow in my opinion.. especially compared to some of the other fics out there) I don't picture Squall getting into everything so quickly... I'm just working with the little emotions right now (i.e. jealousy) Also, no Shiva didn't "die" she's just drained for now... out of commission, if you will. I got stuck on the "coma scene" for a while cause I wasn't sure if I wanted her in the alley or in the original flower field. But since the alley was where she was last conscious, I figured that was where her mind would remain stationed until she had woken up... if that makes sense o.O haha... I'm tired. 


	5. Chapter 9 and 10

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa  
  
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Chapter 9: **Just Her**  
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Squall's deep blue eyes stared out intently while the mist of seawater brushed his skin. As his brown hair ruffled gently in the breeze, he stared back down at the map being displayed on the ship's control panel. 

Their destination wasn't clear, and neither was the outcome of the journey. It was all happening so fast. He felt discouraged with the short amount of time he had and the very few options he was given. When would he be allowed to just sit and think things through? 

Squall, along with Zell, Quistis, Selphie and Irvine were chosen as Rinoa's protectors. They would travel together towards the Gates of Time: an unreasonably vague location. The Gates were a soft spot between dimensions. Once entering, you are in control of time compression. Past, present, and future are compressed until you find the right location and leave immediately to your desired time. The Gates are well hidden for a reason; no one is prepared for the effects of time travel. It is almost impossible to find. 

Rinoa; however, could feel the energy of time magic revolving around the Gates. It was a pulsing signal she felt repeatedly throughout her veins. She couldn't pinpoint the location specifically, but she knew which direction to head. 

Before leaving Balamb, Rinoa had momentarily turned away in hesitation and Squall had seen it. Though she had recovered quickly and walked cheerfully into the ship, the point was clear to him: Rinoa didn't think she would come back. The way she said goodbye to everyone without reassurance of return… how she stopped to gaze at her surroundings before leaving… Squall had only watched her in silence. 

He glanced to his side. Even now, he couldn't help but watch her. Rinoa stood across from him leaning against the ship's railing. She stretched out her arm to the sea as she let her fingers dance vicariously in the breeze. 

They had only been travelling for several hours that morning. The ship would take them as far as the next continent. After that, they were on their own to travel on foot. Squall, who had been assigned squad leader of the mission, stayed up at the top of the ship to keep an eye on their directions. Rinoa had only joined him recently; the others stayed below deck playing card games to pass the time. 

Still watching her from the corner of his eye, he frowned when he remembered the comment Seifer had made to him. 

_What the hell was he trying to say by calling her MY property…?_

Although he had felt strangely possessive after seeing the way Seifer was looking at Rinoa, he had shrugged it off thinking he was only being protective of her safety. After all, it was what he had been told to do, right? 

_I've probably been the one spending the most time with her—people are starting to imply things,_ he thought in annoyance. _I don't even mean to be around her that much, but all my orders seem to revolve around her in some way._

Rinoa continued to look out over the ocean. Her hair ran across her shoulders and out behind her as the wind passed her by. 

_People can think whatever they want. She's just a friend._

He turned away from her and tried to remain focused on the map. 

_Barely… I only just met her._

Even so, Squall no longer showed reluctance when it came down to her. He would remain true to his oath: he'd do what he could to protect her. He would make sure she had a chance. Why should she sacrifice her life so that others, including the people trying to kill her, could be saved? It just didn't seem …fair. 

He heard her footsteps approaching against the metal grating. 

Standing by his side, she looked down at the control panel, or rather, his hand as it rested against the side of it. 

"I like your ring," she commented. 

He nodded. "Thank you." 

She observed the engraving thoughtfully. "What's this monster on it?" 

"It's not a monster," he told her with a light tinge of annoyance in his voice. "It's a lion. They're known for their great strength and pride." 

"… Great strength and pride…" she murmured with a smile. "Kinda like you, Squall." 

He shrugged. "I wish…" 

"So does this Lion have a name?" 

"Griever… I'm not sure where it came from." 

"Well, it's very nice. I wish I had something like that." She turned her attention to the map. "So how much further, Commander?" 

"Don't call me that," he said shaking his head. "We're almost there. You can already see the continent ahead." 

Suddenly, Squall heard the sharp sound of steel scraping against the back of the ship. His eyes narrowed with suspicion as he placed a hand on the handle of his weapon. 

Before he turned the corner, he glanced back at Rinoa. 

"Go below deck," ordered Squall sternly. 

He ran quickly to the back of the ship and peered over the railing. 

Sure enough, a small steel boat had attached itself to their ship. He glanced around quickly. The small boat was empty. 

_Someone's here…_

He turned around sharply, as his basic instincts took him over. Almost void of all focus, he began running full speed towards the front of the ship. 

_Rinoa…_

__

__

* * *

After watching Squall leave, Rinoa kneeled quickly to open the latch leading to the lower deck. As she opened the door, sunlight fell upon the others.

"Hey, close that, Rinoa!" Zell protested, shielding his eyes. 

"Sorry!" she apologized. "I think something's up. Squall heard a noise." 

Irvine, who had been resting against the wall with his cowboy hat covering his face, tipped it up and took hold of the rifle by his side. "I'll go check it out with him. What kind of noise was it?" 

"I'm not sure…" she said as she placed a foot onto the descending staircase. "I hope it's nothing—" 

In split second before she could finish, a figure threw itself upon her. Before they knew what was happening, Rinoa and her attacker were sent tumbling over the ship's railing and into the rushing waters. 

"RINOA!" Squall yelled out suddenly. He had turned the corner just in time to witness the charge. 

The others rushed quickly out from the lower deck. As Zell took hold of the control panel and reversed the ship, they leaned over the railing and searched for any sign of Rinoa within the deep blue water. 

A crash broke through the liquid surface as a man erupted forth gasping for air. Clad in black, the man was fairly huge with several weapons mounted to his belt. As he wiped the matted hair from his eyes, he smiled eerily at them. 

"I drowned your only hope of survival!" he sputtered, the seawater spewing from his lips and out in clumsy spurts. "Ultimecia shall reign!!" 

Irvine raised his rifle in the air and promptly shot the man in the head. The sea fell crimson as the man in black floated lifelessly in his newfound state of extinction. 

Selphie scanned the water desperately, the wind blowing her trimmed locks of hair over her eyes. "R-Rinoa… H-He didn't…?" 

Without hesitation, Squall shrugged off his jacket and dove over the railing into the red colored sea. 

Like an electric shock, the sudden rush of cold water paralyzed his senses. Squall shook it off quickly and forced his body to adjust. He searched frantically for any sign of Rinoa but his vision was blurred by the cloudy formation of scarlet death around him. He could only hope that the blood was not that of Rinoa's. 

He reached out blindly infront of him and opened his eyes suddenly when he felt it. Squall reached out again. His fingers grazed the palm at first… and then against Rinoa's slender fingers. Grabbing hold of her wrist, he pulled her into his arms. Her eyes were closed peacefully; lost in a deep sleep as Squall forced them both to the surface. 

He broke through the liquid cage and gasped for air as he pulled Rinoa up beside him. She leaned lifelessly against the base of his neck as he swam her over to the ship. 

Reaching over the railing, Irvine quickly took hold of Rinoa as Selphie and Quistis both helped Squall out of the water. 

Zell, still in control of ship at the panel, tried to peer past them in frustration. "What's going on over here!?" he yelled in desperation. "Is she okay!?" 

Quistis knelt beside the young sorceress and searched for a pulse. She shut her eyes in denial. Her fingers remained pressed against Rinoa's neck even after she felt absolutely nothing. 

All the while Squall watched breathlessly from where he lay beside her. The water dripped from his matted hair into his eyes and down his chin, but he ignored it. He could only think of her… 

Her. 

Her. 

Her. 

In that exact moment, Rinoa was the only thing on his mind. Why had his perfected concentration been suppressed? Why was he feeling the dread, the fear, …the overwhelming panic? All the emotions remained encased in his cerulean eyes as he struggled to catch his breath. 

Quistis shook her head remorsefully. "She's not breathing…" 

Squall's hands felt slippery against the steel grading, but he forced himself up, as if clinging to the metal surface meant clinging to her life. 

Placing a hand under her neck, he lifted Rinoa's chin and wiped the dripping strands of hair from her face with the other. 

_We're losing her… isn't there anything I can do!?_

Squall ran his thumb gently across her lip before cupping her chin and moving it slightly to open her airway. 

_I'm not going to let you give up this easily…_

He pressed his mouth against hers, hoping that all medical training he had received would finally pay off. He pulled away and began pressing his hand repeatedly above her breast, all the while trying to ignore the faint tingling sensation upon his lips. 

The others could only watch in silence as their leader tried heroically to breathe life back into the young sorceress. 

Just as he had removed his lips again from hers, Rinoa stirred suddenly. The uninvited seawater spewed from mouth as she coughed up violently. When her glassy red eyes sprang open, she stared up in surprise at Squall, instantly realizing what he had for her. Time seemed to stand still as they stared at one another in bewilderment. 

Relieved yet embarrassed, Squall turned away quickly and let Quistis resume aiding her as if nothing had happened. Rinoa, still coughing and gasping for air, blushed furiously and turned away in synchronize. 

They all began talking at once. While Quistis and Selphie helped Rinoa sit up, Irvine was slapping Squall on the back for a job well done. Zell pumped his fist in the air from the control panel, "YEAAAH!! Nice one, Squall!" 

Squall didn't respond. He got up shakily to his feet and swatted away Irvine's congratulatory abuse. 

Rinoa was breathing hard as she tried to speak between gulps of air. Quistis was asking her basic questions to make sure nothing in Rinoa's head had been scrambled from being temporarily shut off from oxygen. 

"What's my name?" 

"Quistis." 

"What's your name?" 

"…Rinoa." 

"Your age?" 

"S-Seventeen." 

"Your date of birth?" 

"I don't have one." 

"Oh! Right, right… I'm sorry… That's okay. I think you're okay." 

After Rinoa had calmed down, she sat leaning against the side railing. "What hit me?" 

"An assassin from Galbadia," Irvine answered as he turned the corner. He had gone off to observe the boat that was tied to the back of their ship. "I recognized the symbol on the boat. It's from their harbor." 

"But I thought Seifer had called them off!?" Selphie yelled in protest. 

Squall scowled angrily at the sound of Seifer's name but didn't speak. 

"He said none of his army would go after her," Irvine explained in disgust. "That doesn't include the underground cults festering around for Ultimecia. Galbadia's law has a lot of influence." 

Rinoa hugged her knees and rested her head against them. She couldn't help but gaze at Squall as he sat across from her against the other railing. He looked angry, confused and despondent at nothing in particular. His icy blue eyes were glaring out into bitter nothingness… it almost scared her. 

_Squall… _she pleaded silently. _I'm sorry… I'm sorry for causing you so much trouble…_

Squall didn't catch her gaze, nor did he attempt to establish one. He simply sat lost in his own thoughts. 

_Squall, please don't hate me._

Selphie sat down next to Rinoa and observed her carefully. "Hey… are you cold, Rinoa? You're shivering!" 

She shook her head. "It's okay." 

The spunky brunette looked around quickly. "Damn! I don't think we have towels or anything!" 

Rinoa giggled at her friend's concern. "Don't worry about it, Selphie!" she said with a smile. "The sun's on me… it's good enough." 

"Hey!" Zell yelled out suddenly from the front of the ship. "We're almost there! Better get the weapons organized!" 

Squall got up quickly and rung the water from his damp white shirt. 

"Squall…" she started quietly. 

He ignored her and reached for his jacket, which he had taken off earlier before diving into the waters to save her. Without a word, he tossed it to Rinoa and headed below deck.  
  
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Chapter 10: **Forget Where The Heart Is**  
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"Are we there yet?" 

The question had been inevitable. 

Quistis sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Do shut up, Zell." 

Zell groaned in frustration and continued dragging his feet with impatience. 

They had been walking for several hours ever since their boat had reached shore. Rinoa, while wearing Squall's jacket over her shoulders, lead the way. She stopped momentarily every so often to close her eyes deep in concentration. She could feel the Gates of Time, but it was still far from where they traveled. 

Squall kept several steps behind her. He had yet to mutter a single word to her since the ship. Why was it suddenly so hard? 

Rinoa could feel his presence close behind her, but didn't dare turn around. She knew why she couldn't. Again, the memory flashed by her. After she had woken up, she had briefly felt the softness of Squall's lips against hers. She had known the soul purpose of this contact was to bring her to life, but she couldn't help but innocently think past the intention. A part of her wished she had been conscious for the most part. 

She blushed and tried to shake the thoughts from her head. _I don't know what you're thinking… _she scolded. _He just did it to save your life and you're fantasizing like a child. _

Hugging Squall's jacket against her, she couldn't help but take in the scent. _I wonder what it's like to fall in love… to live like a human… to love like a human…_

"It kills." 

* * *

"It kills them, Rinoa," Shiva said calmly.

"Then why do they love?" Rinoa asked as she lay casually in the vast field of flowers. She outstretched her tiny arms over her head and grazed the smooth blades of grass between her fingertips. 

"Because it is something humans do, my dearest. They cannot help it." 

"But I thought love was suppose to be a beautiful thing." the small girl stated. 

Shiva smiled as she knelt down by Rinoa's side. "Of course it is… but only to a point. Love can consume you if you're not careful." 

Rinoa smiled softly as the sweet breeze tickled past her nose. "Will I ever fall in love?" 

The smile on Shiva's frigid lips faded. She looked away as she ran her fingers through Rinoa's silky black hair. The breeze continued to sway the grass as the carefree flower petals passed them by. 

_Did you ever put your arms out and spin and spin and spin, really, really fast? _

Well that's what love is like. 

It makes your heart race; turns your whole world upside down… 

But if you're not careful—if don't keep your eye on something still…you could lose your balance. You can't see what's happening to the people around you. 

You can't see that you're about to fall. 

* * *

"Seriously, it kills," Zell repeated.

"What kills?" Selphie asked in annoyance. 

"This goddamn rock in my shoe!" 

"Oh for—" she placed a hand to her forehead. "Give me your shoe, chicken-wuss! I'll toss it into the river…THEN you'll have something to complain about!" 

"Hey, don't call me that!" 

Rinoa shook her head and smiled as she heard them arguing behind her. Zell and Selphie had an amusing sibling rivalry even though they weren't the least bit related. 

After walking a long time under the warm sunlight, her clothes had begun to dry off. She carefully removed Squall's jacket. 

_Okay…You can do this. Just turn around and hand it to him. _

She turned back to face him and almost immediately, their eyes met. Rinoa blushed as her eyes glanced away quickly to the ground. 

Taking in a deep breath, she handed Squall his jacket. 

"I don't need it anymore. Thanks though, Squall." 

Squall eyed his jacket briefly, but didn't accept it. 

"Keep it for now," he told her simply. "It'll be dark soon." 

She stared up at the sky. The clouds were already luminous with shades of orange and purple from the descending sun. 

With a nod, Rinoa smiled at him awkwardly and continued walking forward. As she pulled the jacket over her shoulders, she somehow felt better. She was relieved that Squall's tone had been devoid of malice. 

"Think we should stop for the night?" asked Irvine. They all turned to look at Squall. 

Their leader frowned. "If you guys are tired…" he said reluctantly. . 

"Just a tad," Zell said with a yawn. "I'll go get us some firewood." 

* * *

Holding his hand out over the dry sticks and branches, Squall closed his eyes and concentrated his energy. In a burst of light, a small explosion of fire manifested from the center of Squall's palm and into the dried kindling.

The fire ignited quickly, giving light to the now darkened woods. 

"I've never seen you use magic before," Rinoa said quietly from where she sat. 

He dusted his hands together to shake off the glowing embers. "I don't usually." 

She nodded and leaned against the tree trunk behind her. 

While Zell and Quistis were already asleep and Selphie and Irvine had wandered off, Squall and Rinoa had been left alone to sit in their awkward silence. 

Because he was lost in his own thoughts, Squall hadn't meant to be so rudely silent around Rinoa. It was just the way he was sometimes. 

Staring into the dancing flames, the memory flashed through his head again. Rinoa had drowned. She had been dead in his arms and all he could remember was the pain that had rushed over him. Why had it been there? Why had he suddenly cared so much? Everything slowed down once he had touched her lips. 

"Squall?" 

He looked over to her. "Yeah?" 

"Thank you… for today." 

Squall stared back into the fire, slightly uncomfortable with her gratitude. "Just doing my job." 

Rinoa's eyes fell with discouragement. "Right… Well, I mean, I know. But thank you. I'm sorry you had to go through the trouble." 

Confused, he turned himself to sit facing her. "It's no trouble. I'm here to protect you, remember?" 

"Yeah…" Rinoa murmured softly. "Pretty bad way to start the journey though, huh?" 

He frowned but smiled slightly. "You mean because you died? Yeah, that'll do it. But we were lucky it was only one assassin today." 

"You make it sound like there's a fleet after me." 

"Just the people connected to Galbadia." 

"I see… hey, Squall… why did Seifer really call off his army?" 

The sound of Seifer's name always struck a chord within him. He narrowed his eyes and stared off into the distance. "I don't know," he lied. But he had seen the way Seifer stared at Rinoa. As far as he could tell, it was because Seifer had taken a liking to her. The very thought irritated him and he still didn't fully understand why. 

"Is it something we should be worried about?" 

Squall shook his head. "Just ignore it for now. There's nothing we can do about it anyway." 

She frowned, but he noticed a tint of fear in her eyes. 

"I guess you're right…" 

Before she knew what was happening, Squall suddenly threw himself into her. His body pinned her to the grass as they rolled over onto the damp earth. The sound of rushing objects flew overhead as she heard them hit sharply against the tree she had just been leaning against. 

_Arrows?_

She gasped as Squall reached behind him and pulled an arrow from out of his shoulder. 

"Squall…!" 

He moved slowly off her and shook his head. "Don't use your powers." 

As she opened her mouth to protest, they saw Quistis and Zell clumsily approaching them. Quistis had also taken an arrow to the arm, while Zell promptly pulled out the one embedded in his thigh. 

"Well, that's a bitch to wake up to," Zell grumbled. "Are you guys, okay?" 

"Yeah," Squall started, but paused. He listened carefully to the familiar sounds in the distance. "Listen… they're reloading." 

Rinoa's eyes went wide with fear. 

Quistis gritted her teeth as she pulled the sharp piece of wood out of her arm. "They can see us. Those weren't just random shots in the dark." 

Squall grabbed Rinoa quickly by the wrist. "Come on. We have to make a run for it." 

As they ran blindly into the dark forestry, Squall could hear the nerve-wrenching sounds of the arrow launchers clicking into place. The sound was everywhere and in every direction. It was almost futile to run. 

They stopped running when they knew the noise was now directly infront of them. Squall, Quistis and Zell stood ready with Rinoa in the center. They would protect her with everything they had. 

Rinoa breathed faster in her panic of the situation. 

Whoever was out there was ready. 

Aim. 

Fire. 

The arrows would be coming from every direction. She couldn't stand it. She could hear it now too… the crisp snap of the launchers going off. 

"Tomorrow is day one of seven," she stuttered out suddenly. "I can still do this!" 

Squall spun on her quickly. "Rinoa, don't!" 

But there was no stopping her. The gleaming white wings sprang from her back as she held an arm to the sky. 

The hundreds of arrows flying in their direction froze in midair, almost inches from their bodies. 

With a gesture of Rinoa's hand, the arrows spun around in the reverse direction. Her entire figure shook as she maintained the balance of every single arrow around them. 

Squall, Zell and Quistis, now practically blinded by the amount of light given off by the young sorceress, stared in awe as she casually snapped her fingers. 

Instantaneously, the arrows flew back to their original areas of departure at a more magnificent speed. 

Rinoa stepped forward uneasily as she heard the surprised screams of men being penetrated by their own weapons. 

Her wings folded and vanished from visibility as she stood swaying. Her features remained void of emotion. 

Squall got up quickly to catch her before she fell but was surprisingly held back. He tried desperately to move but his limbs refused to cooperate. They were frozen in place. 

"What going on!?" Zell cried out. "I can't… move?" 

Quistis dug her fingers into the earth for mobility, but they soon gave out. "What's happening to us…?" she yelled out in panic. 

Rinoa's eyes stared down at them blankly as she moved clumsily in a drunk-like state. She had been drained of her energy again. There wasn't much keeping her awake. 

Before she could take another step, she fell. And an arm seemed to shoot out from no where to catch her firmly around the waist. 

Holding her up effortlessly, Seifer sneered down at Squall as he lay struggling to move. 

"What's the matter, Squall? You don't look so good." 

Squall's sapphire eyes burned furiously into his. "What the fuck are you doing, Seifer!?" 

His rival smiled down at the passed out girl he held in his arms. "You didn't think I was gonna let you have her, did you?" 

"If you hurt her, I swear to god…" Squall spat angrily. 

"Maybe all you need is a little closure." As he finished those words, Seifer lifted Rinoa closer to him and kissed her deeply, well aware of Squall's intense reaction. She didn't stir as he then ran a hand through her hair and pressed his lips to her forehead. 

Squall clenched his teeth. 

"I forgot to mention," Seifer told him suddenly. "Did you happen to notice that those arrows were poison? Petrification is a good look for you, Squall." 

Squall struggled to speak, but the muscles in his jaw were now refusing to work. 

He laughed venomously. "I knew she'd use her powers to save your pathetic lives, but why?" Seifer shook his head as he continued to chuckle. "Why, why, why… Guess I'll ask her when she comes to. How long will that take anyway?" 

Knowing that Squall was unable to respond, he gently lifted Rinoa into his arms and began walking in the opposite direction. 

The young commander was left alone. The poison had already taken over Quistis and Zell, but he knew they weren't helpless. Selphie and Irvine had the medicine and would find them eventually but it was the last thing on his mind. He lay staring after Seifer as he left slowly from view. The raging anger clouding his thoughts as he too, eventually ceased to move. 

* * *

**Authors note: **After this i'm only going to be submitting this story one chapter at a time. Rather than make people wait for me to write two chapters (the second one always turning out crappy because I'm tired by the time I get to it) I think I'll just do it one at a time at a slower pace so I can 1) update the story weekly and 2) not have any chapters that are "sloppy" It actually takes a LOT of work to get two chapters done in a week (especially since I have a goal to have each chapter be at least 8 pages long) so hopefully this'll be easier on me. What else... yes, I'm aware that Rinoa seems to be passing out a lot in these past few chapters. That's pretty much it for now so I hope no one's annoyed by her. The scene with Rinoa and Shiva was a flashback to when Rinoa was a child (maybe 9 or 10 years old) The quote about love was originally said by Nicole Kidman from the movie, Practical Magic. 


	6. Chapter 11: Conscious of Fear

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa

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Chapter 11: ** Conscious of Fear**  
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The rusty handle of the small music box squeaked softly as it was winded back. The hauntingly beautiful melody emerged from the repetition of rotating chords and brought a child-like innocence to the dim atmosphere. 

As the melody passed by her ear, Rinoa stirred from her deep sleep. Opening her mahogany eyes slowly, she peered out past the blurry shades of her eyelashes. A candle flickered infront of her as the breeze from an open window encouraged its fiery waltz. 

Rinoa grabbed hold of the satiny sheets around her as she attempted to lift herself up to a sitting position. In its groggy state of mind, her head seemed to weigh her back down. Waking up was becoming a struggle. 

_How long have I been out…?_

As she blinked rapidly, she finally had a chance to realize her surroundings. The room seemed large and dimly lit by several candles on the nightstand next to her bed. None of it was familiar. 

_Where am I?_

In a flash, the recent events showered into her memory. They had been in the woods running. Squall, Quistis, Zell and herself. The chilling sound of loading weaponry was all around them. The last thing she remembered was that her mind had hazed over—as it so often did when she used her powers. Everything went white. Her eyes had burned. Her flesh had tingled. She couldn't recall anything else. 

The soft melody stopped suddenly when the lid of the music box was slammed shut. 

Rinoa turned in surprise of the sharp sound and watched the distant shadows expectantly. Wherever the music box, or the door for that matter, was, she couldn't see past the light of the candles by her side. 

The floor creaked as heavy footsteps walked slowly in her direction. 

"…Squall?" she asked hesitantly. 

A male voice snickered. "Not even close." 

Fear shown through her eyes as Seifer, the general of Galbadia stepped forward into the dim light. 

Instinctively, she raised her hand to summon her powers in defense. Seifer reached over quickly and roughly grabbed her wrist. "Bad idea," he said shaking his head. "In case you've forgotten, your Seven Day Sacrifice is in effect." 

She stared him hard in the eyes. "How do you know about that?" Rinoa asked quietly. 

"I know everything about you," he replied darkly. Gripping her wrist harder, he moved in so his face was several inches from hers. "I have to admit you're fascinating. I'm almost completely infatuated." 

Rinoa narrowed her eyes and jerked back her wrist. He retaliated quickly by clasping a strong hand around her neck. She could only cry out in surprise as Seifer pushed her against the wall behind her. 

"I said almost," he snapped. "Your entire existence is a threat to Ultimecia. I should snap your neck right now." 

She choked under his hold, digging her hands into his grip to no avail. 

"I won't," he admitted. "But don't push me." 

Seifer released his grip and she fell to the bed gasping desperately for air. He sat casually by her side and leaned his head against the wall. "I was keeping tabs on Cid. When I found out he was excavating the Guardian Force shrines I sent in some people to do the same." He laughed shortly. "Cid and his pathetic lack of resources. My people translated the stones when his couldn't even finish half of it." 

He looked over to Rinoa. She lay on her arms for support as her rapid breathing slowly decreased. 

"Of course I know everything about you," Seifer said calmly. "Years ago I knew everything. Everything except for the fact that you actually existed." 

Without speaking, Rinoa lowered herself down to rest against the soft sheets. Still breathing hard, she leaned her head to the side and stared out blankly as Seifer spoke. 

"I bet you're wondering where your protectors are, huh?" 

She didn't respond but he let her silence speak for her. 

"Don't worry. I'm sure they're still in the woods waiting for you," he said with an odd tone of voice. "They'll be there for a while actually." 

"What do you want?" she asked finally. 

Seifer smiled darkly and leaned over her. She could feel his muscular weight pushing her against the bed. As he grazed the silky strands of hair from her neck, she felt the warmth of his breath by her ear. "I want you, " he whispered in a chilling voice. "I could have you right now if I wanted." 

Rinoa remained emotionless as she struggled not to flinch away in fear. "You can have my body," she said coldly. "But you can never have me." 

He slammed down her shoulder hard so she had no choice but to face him. She stared up at him intensely as he lay on top of her. 

"We'll have to do something about that now won't we?" Seifer hissed angrily. "Ultimecia will have your powers on her side. Don't think I'm giving you a choice." 

"I'd rather you kill me now." 

"Are you always this difficult?" 

She paused. "…Are you?" 

Seifer smiled slightly as he looked away. He got off her slowly and sat at the edge of the bed rubbing the back of his neck. "Bad first impression, I suppose. I know what you're thinking… you think I'm a heartless tyrant. That I don't give a shit for anyone but myself." 

Rinoa sat up slowly. "I don't," she said shaking her head. "I only think you're confused. Do you really believe in Galbadia's Law?" 

"I believe in what everyone wants me to." 

"It doesn't have to be like this, Seifer." She watched him carefully. His fist was tightening as she spoke. "I can save you, but you have to let me go. You have to let me do what I need to do." 

He turned to face her slowly. His features were half lit by the flickering candles as he glared at her maliciously. "You shouldn't have thought that, Rinoa. You should've stayed with my first suggestion…" His hand shot out quickly as he grabbed Rinoa's forearm. She cried out in pain as he dug his fingers into her skin and pulled her towards him. "You see… I actually AM a heartless tyrant." 

She shut her eyes as Seifer kissed her hard. His lips pressed mercilessly against hers as she struggled to push him off. He released her and pushed her back by her forearm. "You will be mine, and Ultimecia's for that matter," he said as he got to his feet. "We'll be ensuring your loyalty at the ceremony." 

Rinoa frowned at him questionably as she wiped a hand across her lips. _Ceremony…? _

As Seifer walked slowly from the room, he stopped briefly at the doorway without turning. 

"And you can forget about Squall. He's already forgotten you." 

* * *

"Squall, would you calm down!?" Selphie pleaded. "You can't push yourself! The poison left your muscles in temporary atrophy!" 

Squall ignored her and resumed getting to his feet. Again, his legs collapsed from under him as he fell back to the ground. "How much longer is it going to take?" he demanded sharply. 

"Give it a couple more minutes," Irvine said as he helped Quistis sit up. "Squall, relax, okay?" 

Sitting up, Squall slammed his fist angrily to the ground. "Don't fucking tell me to relax!" 

"Okay, okay!" Irvine sighed in defeat. "Just… tell us what happened then." 

Zell groaned as he leaned his body against a tree trunk and flexed his arm to regain its mobility. "More assassins… they shot those fricken arrows at us." 

"They were coming from every direction," Quistis added as she rubbed her legs. "Rinoa panicked and used her powers to stop the arrows. I don't know what happened after that… I was already being slowed down by the poison." 

"Same here." 

They all turned to look at Squall for the continuation of the story. He frowned to himself and dragged his body up to lean against a tree. "Seifer took Rinoa," he said finally. "The attack was staged by him… he knew Rinoa would exert her energy to save us." 

"Oh no…" Selphie said shaking her head. 

"I don't know why he took her," Squall continued slowly. "I don't really want to think about it either." 

An uneasy silence fell upon the others. 

"But I'm going to get her back," he said narrowing his eyes. "and I'll kill Seifer if he gets in my way." 

Irvine nodded his approval. "Sounds good." 

"So, where do we start?" asked Zell. 

"Where would Seifer take her?" Selphie added in. 

Squall leaned his head back, thankful that he could feel the muscles in his legs begin to rejuvenate. 

"I doubt it would be in Galbadia. Seifer doesn't spend a lot of time in Dollet," Quistis informed. 

"Deling City," Squall said with his eyes clasped shut. He could now move his joints freely but they were irritatingly sore. "Seifer's mansion is there." 

Zell shook his head with a laugh. "They gave that bastard a mansion…" 

Selphie got up to her feet and tried to look past the thick forest infront of them. "Any ideas on where we are now?" 

"Close to Winhill," Squall told her as he opened his eyes. "…I think. It could take us a couple days to get to Deling on foot." 

"A couple days!?" Selphie exclaimed. "But—" 

"I know." the commander cut in sharply. 

As the others continued to talk, Squall drowned them out and stared out into the distance. He had sworn an oath to protect Rinoa. To help her conserve energy so that she may live after the battle with Ultimecia. But, with the way things were going… was that even possible? 

_Seifer said he wouldn't kill her… he just wanted her for himself. Ironically, she's alive while she's with him. _He glanced at the others as they prepared themselves for the trip to Deling City. _But we're coming to save her… so she can continue a suicide mission… to save everyone in the world…_

His thoughts meandered as his deep blue eyes shifted regretfully to the ground. 

_We can't live without her… but she could live without us…_   
  


* * *

**8 YEARS EARLIER**

****

* * *

"What are ya readin' Chicken-wuss?" 

The blonde-haired boy snatched the book from the younger boy's grasp. 

"Gimmy it back!" he protested. 

"You're reading 'Savior'? Ha! CRY-BABY-ZELL LIKES FAIRY TALES!!" 

Zell rose to his feet and tried to grab back his book, but the other boy waved it up over his head. "Stop teasing me, Seifer! Give it back!" 

Seifer laughed and continued to wave the book. "Why? Don't ya know this stuff rots your brain?" 

"GIVE IT BAAACK!! I just got to the best part!" 

"Which?" Seifer asked sarcastically. "The part where she dies or the part where—" 

"Both of you quit it!" a small, female voice snapped. 

They both shrank back slightly as Quistis ran into the room and angrily placed her hands on her hips. "Selphie's still crying so cut it out!" 

"Crying over what?" Seifer asked rolling his eyes. 

"Didn't you see? They took Irvine away today…" 

Zell's eyes widened in disbelief. "He got parents today?" 

Quistis nodded. "Those people from Galbadia… he went to go live with them. Selphie won't stop crying." 

"Hey, at least he's gotta home," Seifer said with a shrug. "Not stuck here like the rest of us." 

With an exaggerated flip of her long blonde hair, Quistis spun around and headed back out towards the beach. "I'm gonna check on her so you all be quiet!" 

They watched silently as she ran off before resuming their argument. Zell jumped as high as he could to retrieve his reading material but Seifer only maneuvered it higher out of reach. "I'll save ya the trouble, Chicken-wuss!" He turned quickly and tossed the book out the window behind them. 

As another boy sat outside, watching the ocean and letting the breeze entwine through his copper-colored hair, the book tumbled out the window above him and came to a rest by his feet. He eyed the dust-speckled cover while listening to the angry exchange of words above him. Zell was whining about his lost possession while Seifer laughed and said simply: 

"Nobody lives happily ever after." 

* * *

**Authors note: **That's about as far as I'll go on violent sexual themes (not my cup of tea to write) In case anyone's wondering on how Rinoa can use her powers to defeat Ultimecia when she can't even handle stopping a bunch of arrows without falling over? It's all due to the Seven Day Sacrifice theory. As long as she doesn't use her powers for a select amount of time and to no severe extremities, she'll accumulate enough to battle Ultimecia. The reason she fell so easily after stopping the arrows was because she had just gotten over using her energy in the alley fight (chapter 3/4) Think of it this way: she's like a rechargeable battery har har. You wouldn't charge the battery for only a short amount of time and expect it to work at full potential, right? Ahh, my theories will have me locked away… :D And yes, that's Squall at the end of the flashback but I'm sure you figured that out. 


	7. Chapter 12: The Confession

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Chapter 12: **The Confession**  
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Held in young hands  
The light is shivering.  
I've come all this way  
Wandering along the edges of time. 

I came, searching still  
Without even knowing your name,  
But one little feeling  
I only wanted to hand over to you 

Sometimes I catch and hold  
love and pain, tightly in my arms.  
It will fade away,  
But I will remember it 

... Always 

* * *

"You doing okay, Squall? You haven't been saying much."

Quistis let out a short laugh as she glanced back at Irvine. "He never said much to begin with." 

Squall continued to stare straight ahead as he lead the way down a stony path. "Got a lot on my mind," he grunted shortly. 

It was an honest answer. 

They had been travelling for almost a day towards Deling City and although the weather had been generous in their favor, the walking conditions had been rough. They avoided the towns incase Galbadian soldiers spotted them, so renting a vehicle was out of the question. The last thing they wanted was for Seifer to be aware of their presence. 

"You're really worried about Rinoa, aren't you?" Zell hazardized. 

Even though they knew he wouldn't respond, they grew silent in hopes that he would. They had noticed it. No one ever said a word knowing how Squall would react, but they had noticed it. Girls came and went but Rinoa had been the only person to get a reaction from him. The only person to get his attention. The only person who made him smile if only for a fraction of a second. Maybe it wasn't head-over-heels obvious, but they could see that their cold, anti-social commander actually felt something for her. 

"What kind of question is that?" Squall asked sharply. 

After quickly jabbing Zell in the ribs, Selphie shot him a Don't-do-it look and he promptly shrank back. "Nothing," he said quickly. "I was just wondering cause I mean… we all are." 

They continued to walk in silence. 

_Do they all find it amazing that I do?_ Squall wondered._ I do… I am worried about her. But there's something else…_

"Quistis?" he asked suddenly. 

The blonde-haired instructor joined him at his side. "Yes?" 

"What happens at the end of the story?" 

Her eyes observed him questionably. "What are you talking about, Squall?" 

"The story," he said again, "Savior, how does it end?" 

Quistis shook her head. "I already said I couldn't remember… and besides, that story's been recreated and retold a hundred times. I don't even know which copy I read." 

"I remember though…" Squall said slowly as he stopped to face them all. "Your book… you lent it to Zell." 

Zell's eyes widened. "Dude… what are you talking about!?" 

"He was reading it," Squall continued, "…and then… Seifer stole it from him." 

Quistis could only stare at him in bewilderment. "Are you talking about back when—?" 

He nodded slowly. "Back at the orphanage. I can only remember that one moment… I don't know why it came back to me, but I was sitting outside when that book fell by my feet. I guess—" 

"That bastard Seifer threw the book out the window." Zell finished. 

"You remember?" 

"Bits and pieces now… I had to hear you describe it first." 

"Did you remember what happens in the end?" 

Zell scratched the back of his neck as he searched his memory. "I think in every story she saves the world, but… it just seems to end after that. I can't remember either." 

Irvine tipped back his hat. "Whoa… wait, can we back up a little? You guys grew up together in the same orphanage?" 

They all turned to look at him. 

Selphie shifted her feet nervously against the dirt-paved road. "Actually Irvine… you were there too." 

He frowned at the brown-haired girl in puzzlement. "What? What do you mean, Sefie?" 

"I mean," she began as she shifted away from his stare. "We were all orphans together. You were adopted when you were about nine. They put you under Galbadian Law and erased some of your memory." 

Irvine took off his hat and ran a hand through his long brown hair. "Well, yeah, that IS something they do… I just never… I mean, I never even thought about where it was I came from even when I knew my parents weren't my real parents…Something kept pushing it out like it didn't matter…" 

"It's alright, Irvine." Selphie assured. "No one holds it against you. That day when you escaped Galbadia and came to Balamb Garden, we knew from the first moment you saw us that we had been wiped from your memory." 

"Why… didn't you guys say anything?" 

Squall sighed and folded his arms across his chest. "Don't take this the wrong way, but it was a bit of a trust issue. We wanted to wait until the whole Galbadian Law thing was out of your system before we said anything." He shrugged. "Guess this is as good a time as any." 

Walking ahead of the others, Squall turned his back and continued on. "But if you're looking to reminisce, we can't help you." 

Replacing the cowboy hat quickly upon his head, he hurried to catch up with Squall. "Why not?" he demanded. 

Squall was without pity for the other boy. He knew the importance of a memory too well, but was just the same. They were all the same. Their childhood memories could only be recollected in fragments. Everything that involved their years at the orphanage could only flash by like the constant changing of television channels. 

"Because we can't remember either." 

"But you were just talking about—" 

"That's rare." Squall stated, his voice lacking all forms of emotion. "We only remember bits and pieces here and there, but nothing solid." 

"But… why? What happened to you all?" 

Quistis spoke up then. "It's just the price we pay for power. When we were all old enough… around the age of ten… we left the orphanage and trained at the Garden. That's when we were introduced to using Guardian Forces…" 

"The GF provides us its power," Selphie continued, "But the GF makes its own place inside our brain... We only found out recently that the area it takes is where our memories are storied." She tapped her head gently in demonstration. "Sometimes it gets pretty bad. About a month ago I almost forgot that I used to know you, Irvy." 

"We're no better off than you are," Zell said simply. "You've only been using Guardian Forces for about a year. That won't do much, but since Galbadia already wiped out your past…" He paused to chuckle. "I guess we're all in the same boat." 

Irvine walked in silence as he tried to absorb the sudden information. It certainly accounted for a lot. 

"So… what are you going to do?" he finally asked. 

Squall frowned. "What are we going to do?" he repeated. "Nothing." 

Irvine stared hard into Squall's back. "But your memories… What do you mean 'nothing'!?" 

The commander stopped walking then and turned to face the others. "So what do you want to do? You wanna stop using GF now? As long as we continue fighting, we're indebted to the powers of the GF. If there's a price I have to pay for that, I'll gladly pay for it." 

"He's right man," Zell said as he placed a hand on Irvine's shoulder. "Having a Guardian Force junctioned ups our advantages over the Galbadians. We need it more than ever now. We've gotta get Rinoa back, right?" 

Squall frowned to himself at the mention of her name. 

"Yeah… I guess you're right…" Irvine admitted reluctantly. "Seems like a heavy price to pay though." 

It was in fact. But what other choice did they have if they wanted to save humanity? 

"Those Guardian Forces," Zell said shaking his head. "It's almost as if they WANT us to forget our pasts…"

* * *

__

__

_I know he wants to learn more about the orphanage, but I've got too much on my mind as it is, _Squall thought distantly. He could hear them talking behind him. There was only so much they could tell Irvine anyway, what could he contribute that was significant? He knew he couldn't be of much help when his thoughts were meandering constantly.

_Rinoa…_

Her name suddenly sat so familiar in his thoughts. It was driving him insane. Was it because she was with Seifer? Was it just jealousy? 

_Jealous, huh? That doesn't sound like me…_

No. It had to be more than that. He felt a longing to see her, to hear her voice… 

_Since when did I start feeling this way about her? _

He knew he was trying to fool himself. He had felt it from day one but was too blind and arrogant to realize it. The more he felt something for her, the more he wanted to push her away to prove everyone wrong. But mostly, to prove himself wrong. Was it really so hard for him to admit it? Maybe things would've been different if he had. Maybe it wouldn't have been too late. 

Squall couldn't help but laugh at himself. 

_So, what are you gonna do now, huh?_

He realized now that he cared for her, but was he really better off? Rinoa was on a suicide mission. Even though there was a chance that she'd live through it, he refused to take it. How could he let her go through with the mission now? It was Rinoa's will… her soul purpose and objective in life. He couldn't stop her. Unless… 

Squall stopped walking. Zell absently bumped into his back and jumped back in surprise. "Squall? Yo! What's the matter?" 

"I've… been thinking," Squall said slowly. "If she stays with Seifer, she can't defeat Ultimecia. She'll get to live… right?" 

Quistis stared at him in shock. "What exactly are you trying to say?" she demanded. 

"Answer the question." 

They exchanged worried glances as Quistis regarded him cautiously. "Well… technically, yes—" 

"So what are we doing?" Squall asked before she could finish. 

"We're… we're going to save her, Squall…" she uttered nervously. 

"Why?" 

"Because she has to defeat Ultimecia! Why are you asking me this? You know it all!" 

"If we save her, we're only sending her to her death." 

"But the Seven Day sacrifice—" 

"That doesn't guarantee anything!" Squall practically shouted. Even he was surprised by his outburst. "If she doesn't do the mission then she lives! We might not have a lot of fun with Ultimecia around, but at least Rinoa will live, right!?" 

"Squall, Ultimecia will destroy the world…" Selphie whispered quietly. 

"What makes you think she's safe with Seifer!?" Irvine argued back. 

"He said he wouldn't kill her." 

"He could do a lot worse to her than kill her, Squall." 

Quistis lost her temper then. She could tell Squall was starting to lose it. He had lost perspective on what was important. She quickly walked over to him and slapped him sharply across the face. 

"That's not your decision to make," she said coldly as he glared into her sapphire eyes. "After we save Rinoa, she'll tell us what she needs to do. It's not up to you. It's up to her." 

The others could only stare in silence as Squall stepped backwards in defeat; his eyes shifting apologetically downward as he leaned back against a tree. He sighed and rested his head against the ridged bark, letting the sun heat the already warm area on his cheek. "I think…" he began slowly. "I think I've fallen for her…" 

_They're probably laughing at me. Or maybe they're angry...? _Regardless of what he thought they'd be thinking, he knew he had to admit the hardest part of all. The part that made him weak. The part that scared him the most. 

"I really… don't know what I'm suppose to do now…"

* * *

**Authors note: **The lyrics are from the song "Without Stealing the Jewl" or "Radical Dreamer" from the game Chrono Cross (english translation) A lot of this story will conspire around the past and future later on so ..mwahaha try follow along (and let me know if I'm making things too complicated) Now was Squall's "realization" too sudden? I was trying to hold it off but the coming chapters are making it inevitable. Other stuff: I couldn't think up Galbadia's method of "memory wiping" but I was only going to mention it once for Irvine's sake and then leave it alone (let's just say it's how they brainwash people into following Ultimecia) And don't worry, Squall still wants to save Rinoa but he had a bit of a panic attack. This chapter was mainly character development (I think that's important in an AU fic because you're starting from the "beginning") So there'll be more action in the next chapters ) Cya! 


	8. Chapter 13: Resist Greed

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa  
  
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Chapter 13: **Resist Greed**  
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Strumming her fingers against the smooth metal surface of the window ledge, Rinoa eyed the door to her room warily as it swung open. In stepped forward two of Seifer's closest comrades: Raijin and Fujin. Raijin, tanned and muscular, though not so fortunate intelligence-wise, served Seifer as his bodyguard while Fujin, a rather sharp-tongued women with silver hair and a distinguishing eye patch, was captain of the Galbadian army. 

Neither of the two was a serious threat to her, but they wouldn't give a second thought to stopping her if she ever tried to escape. Their loyalty to Seifer was imperishable. 

"Morning, Rinoa!" Raijin greeted loudly. "Tonight's the night, ya know?" 

She frowned at them. She had yet to be properly informed of what was to become of her. "The night for what, exactly?" 

Raijin and Fujin exchanged glances at each other as if reluctant to tell her. "CEREMONY!" Fujin proclaimed as bluntly as she so often did. She was known for only speaking the words that mattered. 

"Yes, I know," Rinoa said calmly as she approached them. "Could I get some details, please?" 

Again, the two exchanged glances. 

"Well, it's like this," Raijin began, "Seifer wants you to dedicate your loyalty to both him and Ultimecia, ya know?" 

Rinoa furrowed her eyebrows in thought. "So… you plan to brainwash me?" she said with a smirk. 

He chuckled. "Shucks, Rinoa, you know we can't do that! You're a sorceress. It'd be impossible, ya know?" 

"Right…" she said rubbing her forehead slightly. "So, what is he planning to do?" 

"Well, after you marry Seifer they'll lock you away in the Sorceress Memorial so your powers—" 

"Wait, what!?" Rinoa exclaimed in surprise. 

"The Sorceress Memorial? Don't worry, I'm sure it won't hurt! Seifer just wants to be able to concentrate your powers so he can use them whenever he wants, ya know?" 

"I was expecting that part, but what happens first again?" 

"You mean the marriage part? The ceremony tonight is kind of a wedding too! Seifer wants you all for himself, ya know? He's a pretty selfish guy! Plus the people of Galbadia need to witness it so they know you're on their side, ya know? It'll put them at ease." 

Rinoa looked away tiredly. "You're kidding me…" 

Fujin shook her head. "SERIOUS!" 

The silver-haired captain jabbed Raijin sharply in the ribs. "Ow! Okay, okay… Listen Rinoa; we'll be back later with something for you to wear. Gotta help prepare for the ceremony, ya know? It's gonna be held at the Presidential Residence. You get a parade and everything too, ya know? It's pretty exciting!" 

Rinoa turned her back and walked back towards the window. "Thrilling." she muttered between clenched teeth. They shrugged and left quickly. The disappointing sound of the door being locked behind them echoed loudly into the numbing silence of her room. 

She soon found herself clutching the window ledge in desperation. She had to escape, but the only way out was to use her powers. Then what? She'd have nothing left. She might not even be able to defeat Ultimecia let alone live afterwards. But now Galbadia was planning to seal her away… What good was she to anyone like this? 

She sank slowly to her knees, a single hand still clutching the cold metal ledge._ I don't… understand why all of this is happening…_The tears fell silently from her eyes as she watched lifelessly. Getting up slowly to her feet, Rinoa crossed the room to where the small wooden music box sat invitingly. She lifted the lid and let the hauntingly beautiful melody fill the silence of her despair. 

Her eyes darted to the slightly cracked mirror above it. She watched her reflection curiously as she grazed a hand across her seemingly perfect features. It was the cause of her problems. It was what Seifer desired. Rinoa glared in disgust of herself. _I didn't ask for this body… _Her other hand had begun to unconsciously finger the cracked surface of the glass in the corner. Her hand jerked away suddenly after it had caressed a rather sharp edge. She watched blankly as the crimson droplets trailed down her hand and off her wrist. _If I…? Then maybe Seifer won't want me… Maybe everything would be easier if I didn't look like this…_

Ignoring the blood as it trailed down her hand, she reached back to the mirror and clasped the loose piece of glass. She clenched her teeth as the shard dug painfully into her hand. With a frustrated cry of anguish, she finally succeeded in prying it off the wall. 

The glass shard gleamed brightly from the faint spill of sunlight as she examined it curiously. Her eyes moved up slowly back to her reflection. _You're doing this to me... _she scolded silently. 

Rinoa reluctantly placed the sharp object to her forehead. _I have to do this…I'm sorry… _She shut her eyes as she dragged the glass shard across her face. It burned against her flesh. The surface grew slippery as her blood leaked out past the moving blade. The pain was overwhelming, but it only made her slash her skin faster. The blood ran quickly down her neck and onto her clothes. The warmth from both the pain and the blood seared her senses as she dropped the glass shard to the floor. 

Breathing heavily, Rinoa collapsed to her knees and tried to ignore the blinding agony across her face. Eventually, she felt her face grow numb as the pain began to subside. She reached over and picked up the piece of glass she had dropped. Her reflection startled her; the cuts she had made were zigzagged across her face in the form of deep red welts. Satisfied, she clasped her eyes shut and tossed away the glass. 

The music box continued to play. 

She sat and stared at the tiny fragments of dust that danced over the thin beam of sunlight. Several minutes passed as she continued to stare. The sun's vibrant colors, yellow orange and red, each melting into the next at a gradual succession. 

Grabbing the table ledge, Rinoa finally found the energy to pull herself up. She got off her knees and onto her feet. Gripping the table for support, she brought herself up to face her reflection. Immediately, she slammed her hand against the mirror in shock of what looked back at her. 

_WHY!?_

Her face had healed itself. 

There were no cuts and no traces of blood. Everything had healed. She looked just as she had always looked. 

_That's right… I can't… because I'll always…_

She glared at herself one final time before smashing her fist into the mirror. The glass cut her hand of course, but it would heal in only a matter of minutes. She remembered that now. Lost in the midst of defeat, she repeatedly slammed her fist against the glass remains. If tears were her only option now, she would take it willingly. 

Exhausted, she backed away from the empty frame and let herself crumple slowly to the floor. As she lay on her back, she brought her hand to her face and watched the blood trickle from her knuckles. She didn't flinch as it eventually fell upon her face. 

_I have to be real…Everything feels real…_

She dropped her hand and closed her eyes, trapping the warm liquid that escaped in her weakness. 

_Squall… _He was her only hope now. _Please help me…_

The room grew silent as the music box slowly came to a stop. 

* * *

Standing with the bright lights of Deling against him, he walked slowly past the town's front gates. The sun was setting and the nightlife was already filling the streets. Civilians crammed the sidewalks while cars and taxi carriages jammed the roads. An important event looked to be taking place.

After placing a foot on the street of a Deling, a guard quickly approached him. "Sir, I'll be needing proof of your Galbadian citizenship." Without a word, the young man reached behind him and casually speared his gunblade to the ground. The rare weapon itself was a symbol of Balamb Garden and the fact that he held it, gave immediate warning of his military status. 

The guard's eyes went wide with fear and astonishment. "Holy shit…" 

Squall reached forward and grabbed the guard quickly by the shirt collar. "What's happening here?" he interrogated coldly. 

"It's… It's a ceremony… for the new Sorceress…!" 

"What the hell for?" 

"She's… to wed the General. Then… th-they'll seal her powers at th-the memorial!" 

Squall narrowed his eyes and pushed him to Zell who promptly knocked the frightened man unconscious with a single blow. 

"Dude, she's marrying Seifer? That's gotta suck!" Zell said as he dusted his hands. 

"I'll kick the shit out of him before that happens." Squall muttered. 

Irvine, Quistis and Selphie, who had been securing their position outside the gates, ran in quickly to join them. 

"We got ourselves a wedding to crash!" Zell announced to them. 

Irvine nodded. "We overheard. There's going to be a hell of a lot of people there." 

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Quistis inquired. 

"Both. Depending on how you look at it." 

"So, how are we gonna do this?" Selphie asked as she peered anxiously towards the crowd. "If they're taking her to the Sorceress Memorial right after then we can't wait. We gotta do this now!" 

Irvine watched Squall carefully. "Squall… you good to do this?" 

Squall scowled at the other boy. "Why wouldn't I be?" he snapped. 

"You had some second thoughts before. Just making sure you got it out of your system." Without waiting for a response, Irvine wrapped an arm around Squall's neck and dragged him away. "We'll be right back!" he called over his shoulder. "Just giving him a pep talk! You guys stay here and figure out positionings!" 

"Hey…! What are you doing?" Squall growled. "Get off me!" 

"Listen!" Irvine said in a hiss. "I know you're a little confused right now. Believe me, I've been there." 

_Shit, I don't wanna have to hear this from him. _

"I know Rinoa must mean a lot to you, but you can't let it cloud your judgment, okay? You kinda freaked us out before." 

"Okay, understood, let's go." 

"Wait, there's something else!" 

_What's his deal? _"What is it?" Squall demanded impatiently. 

"Ever since you told us that… well, you know…" 

_I knew I shouldn't have said anything…_ "Yeah, I know. So what is it?" 

"Look, nobody wanted to say anything, but I felt like I should." 

That caught his attention. With a smirk, Squall folded his arms and stared expectantly at the other boy. He knew where the conversation was headed. "Fine. Let's have it." 

"Rinoa's great. And I'm happy you feel this way about her… but with Rinoa… if you keep it up then it'll kill you if she has to leave us in the end… " 

_I know…_ "So… you think I should just leave it alone?" Squall finished for him. 

Irvine nodded reluctantly. "That's probably best, man. I mean, I've been in love more times than I wish I had! But if you get out of it before it's **too late**, then it won't hurt as much in the end, know what I mean?" 

"Look, I'm not in love with her, okay?" Squall protested angrily. "I never said that! I just feel… like… I don't know…" _I don't know what love is… _He ran a hand quickly through his hair. "Forget it." 

"Squall…" 

"I know though, alright? I know what might happen and I know it's not right for me to—" Squall paused as if to quickly interrupt the next words that came out of his mouth. "…I know, okay?" 

"So, you know what you're doing then?" 

"Yeah…" he turned away from Irvine and slowly headed back to the others. 

_But it might already be too late..._

__

__

* * *

Ignoring the importance of her own ceremony, Rinoa stared off absently to the side. She could only see the lights of Deling City faintly enough through the sheer white fabric of her veil. Her dress clung to her figure and trailed off behind her, carried by several of Seifer's servants. She flinched as she yet again felt a sharp pain against her back. "Eyes forward!" someone commanded hoarsely.

Rinoa frowned in annoyance but continued ahead. How far could the ceremony really go if she didn't say a word? 

The streets were crowded with Galbadian spectators. She had contemplated making a run for it but the crowd would only push her back. 

She walked as slowly as she could to prolong the event as if it were her execution. If she was to be sealed away then it was close enough to being just that. After performing her duties so many years back, the great Sorceress Adel had been sealed away and sent to space. It was respectfully the ice-cold grave she wanted and deserved after bringing to life her own prophecy; the monsters on the planet were of her creation. Like Ultimecia, Adel only brought with her the promise of demise. Rinoa; however, would have a different fate at the Sorceress Memorial. She would be sealed away, but kept alive so that the Galbadians could use her powers. The last thing she wanted was to help them harm humanity. 

Seifer, who hadn't even taken the time dress up, stood in his usual attire with his trademark gray jacket. He smiled eerily as she approached and turned to face the crowd. They cheered for their leader's achievement as he casually bowed and ran a hand smugly through his hair. 

"Rinoa." he greeted as she stood emotionlessly at his side. 

She stared straight ahead. "Why are you doing this?" 

"I'm only protecting you," he assured. "When you're sealed at the memorial, do you really want these people to go burn the place down? They have to know you're on their side." 

"Oh please," Rinoa whispered angrily. "They know I don't want to be here." 

"You'd be surprised how gullible these people are." Seifer reached down and grabbed her firmly by the wrist. "Don't try anything stupid. The President of Galbadia is here watching this. If you decide to have a hissy-fit, I'll break your wrist, got it?" 

He tightened his hold on her till she cried out in pain. "Got it!?" 

"OKAY!" She gasped as he relaxed his grip. "If I didn't have anything stopping me, I'd blast you to shreds!" Rinoa hissed. 

"Yeah well, that isn't my fault, princess." Seifer said simply as he practically dragged her up beside him. As the priest spoke, Rinoa scanned her surroundings frantically for an escape route. Seifer frowned at her and tightened his grip again as a warning. She flinched as she glared up at him hatefully. 

Just then, shouts of surprise were heard in the crowd as a car engine suddenly roared loudly to life. Seifer quickly stepped forward, pulling Rinoa with him as they both scanned the crowd. 

Spectators quickly jumped out of the way as a car plowed its way through them and quickly towards the platform. 

Rinoa's eyes widened in disbelief as she recognized Squall behind the wheel. 

He skidded the car to a stop beside the platform and jumped on quickly with his gunblade out infront of him. 

"Squall!" Rinoa cried out. 

Seifer pulled her possessively behind him and smiled at his rival. "Well look who finally decided to show." 

"Let her go, Seifer." Squall demanded coldly. 

"You didn't really think this through, did you?" Seifer asked as he scratched his head. "There's only one of you!" 

"Hah! You wish, dumbass!" Zell said as he casually pushed the priest off the platform. 

"You're stuck with your own crappy sorceress!" Selphie exclaimed as she appeared beside Squall. "You can't have ours!" 

They were quickly joined by Irvine and Quistis who stood with their weapons ready at both sides of the platform. Seifer was surrounded, but didn't seem the least bit worried. He shrugged casually and nodded at Irvine. "You were trained as a sniper, correct?" he asked suddenly. 

Even though he was caught off guard by the question, Irvine regarded him coolly. "Yeah, so?" 

"Galbadia had a hand in that. In fact, Galbadia trains a lot of snipers…" He pointed a finger upwards. "It is our specialty. I thought you of all people would've realized that." 

Immediately, they all looked up in the direction Seifer was pointing. Close to them was the gateway tower, and above it held what looked to be hundreds of Galbadian soldiers with sniper rifles. 

"Oh man…" Zell exclaimed wide-eyed. 

"I knew it," scoffed Seifer. "I knew you'd all be stupid enough to try something like this. Admirable, really. But stupid." 

Squall cursed silently to himself as he lowered his gunblade. 

"Seifer, please…" Rinoa spoke up suddenly. "Please let them go. I'll marry you, okay? But let them go!" 

Seifer smirked at Squall and turned to face Rinoa. "You weren't given a choice anyway," he said as he lifted the veil from her face. "Either you go through this without a fight or I have them all executed." 

As Rinoa looked slowly to the others, her eyes locked with Squall's. Something about the way he looked at her felt different, but his features were unreadable. 

Rinoa nodded in defeat as Seifer leaned in and kissed her. Squall could only watch with clenched fists as the anger he felt slowly crawled over his judgment. The fact that Seifer was even touching Rinoa was filling him with rage. 

She was the first to break from the kiss as she lowered her head in disgust of herself. Seifer merely smiled smugly at Squall as he ran a hand through Rinoa's loose strands of hair. Without a word to them, he pulled out a small radio attached to his belt and switched it on. "Shoot 'em all down when I give the word," he stated simply. 

Rinoa turned on him sharply and grabbed his arm desperately. "You said you wouldn't!" 

"I say a lot of things," he said icily. "Now since you belong to me, I'd go easy on the whole 'pissing me off' thing." And with that, he backhanded her across the face. She fell to the ground hard and lay slightly disoriented from the blow. 

"Get the fuck away from her—!" Squall shouted as he attempted to charge his rival. He was quickly restrained by Irvine and Quistis. 

"Squall, easy!" Irvine hissed. 

_I'll kill him. I'll fucking kill him._

He could feel it building within him: the anger, the rage, the sheer maddening hatred. Everything went red. He felt it run through him like a wave of electricity. His inner power had been triggered. His limit break had been reached. 

Seifer could watch with surprise as the red and blue aura grew around his rival. Irvine, Zell, Quistis and Selphie backed away from their leader slowly. They had all experienced their limits before, but knew for a fact that Squall's was a rare thing. After all, a person who was pretty much emotionless all the time needed to be truly enraged to reach a limit break. 

Squall raised his gunblade over his head and let his energy use it as a vessel. It surged through the blade in a blindingly white beam of light as it reached up to the heavens. Unsure of what to do, Seifer backed up slowly but Squall was already bringing down his weapon. 

The light severed through the platform and ignited the area in a thick cloud of smoke. The Galbadian soldiers positioned above the gateway tried desperately to see through it to no avail. They resisted on taking free shots in fear they might hit Seifer or Sorceress Rinoa. 

Through the thick cloud of smoke, Squall made his way to Rinoa and quickly helped her up. "SPLIT UP!" he ordered to the others. He could hear their footsteps as they scattered off in different directions. After he got Rinoa to her feet, he shook her till she regained her focus. 

"Hey! Rinoa!" 

"Squall…" she answered in confusion. "What are you—?" 

"I'll explain later," he said as he grabbed her wrist. "Come on. We gotta make a run for it." 

* * *

**Authors note: **The last couple paragraphs were rushed. I may change it a bit later if I have the time. Sorry for the wait guys But I'm graduating this year and my prom is coming up so you know how it is. The whole "wedding scenario" was kinda inspired from Final Fantasy X but the setting (which I didn't describe that well, I'll admit) is suppose to be like Edea's parade scene in the orignal ff8 story. And if anyone's wondering, Squall's limit break there was "Blasting Zone" (I was originally going to have him use "Lionheart" but I needed one that would shake up the place and cause a distraction for the snipers) 


	9. Chapter 14: So Undeniably Yours

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa  
  
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Chapter 14: **So Undeniably Yours**  
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Seifer got up angrily as the heavy dust particles began to settle. His foot slid clumsily against the rough debris as he struggled to maintain his balance on the dilapidated platform. The crowd was in complete chaos. 

"Yo, Seifer!" 

Raijin and Fujin pushed their way through the panic-stricken crowd and were quickly at his side. 

"GONE!?" Fujin asked in her usual manner of speaking. 

Seifer shook his head. "They couldn't have gotten far." 

"We gotta do something about this crowd, ya know?" Raijin said as he backed up slightly. 

"Tell them they'll all be shot if they don't settle down," Seifer snapped bitterly. He turned quickly to Fujin, the captain of his army. "Get everyone out there! Search every goddamn house and building! He's not leaving with her!" 

They both nodded in unison to him and ran off in different directions, leaving him to sulk in his own growing hatred. 

* * *

"Squall, where are we going!?" Rinoa asked breathlessly.

He had been running at full speed and unknowingly dragging her along as he held onto her wrist. 

"The last place he'll think to look for us!" Squall yelled over his shoulder. "The others are hopefully doing the same. They'll know to meet up with us after things settle." 

He suddenly slowed his pace as if the sound of fatigue in Rinoa's voice was finally beginning to register. Looking around quickly, he noted the rather large mansion just across a short, stone walkway. "The general's mansion?" 

Rinoa nodded. "That's where I was held." 

"Then he probably wouldn't think to look for you here," Squall told her. "Come on." 

As he lead the way through Seifer's vast backyard garden, his hand remained protectively clasped around her wrist. Rinoa watched his gesture questionably as if any type of intentional physical contact from Squall was something completely foreign. 

"Are you hurt?" he asked suddenly. 

"What?" she asked as she was broken from her thoughts. 

"Seifer," Squall replied bitterly. "He hit you pretty hard." 

Rinoa raised a hand to her cheek. "Oh…" Everything had happened so fast she had practically forgotten. "I'm alright. It doesn't hurt." 

Squall stopped walking then and turned to face her. "Let me see." 

Even though his hand was encased in leather, she could still feel the warmth of his touch as he grazed her cheek. His cerulean eyes burned intently as he inspected the now blushing surface of her skin. 

After he had passed his thumb beneath her eye, he quickly pulled away and diverted his eyes. "Guess you do heal fast. The bruising is already gone." 

Walking ahead, Squall scanned the dimly lit yard and spotted a garage hidden away in the far corner. After signaling Rinoa to follow, he ran up to the door of the garage and peered through the dusty glass. Inside held a collection of rather expensive looking Galbadian vehicles and motor bikes. _Finally… _Squall thought with a smirk, _Seifer's actually useful for something. _Without a second thought, he smashed his fist through the glass window and unlocked the door. Before proceeding in, he turned to Rinoa. 

"We have to lay low for a bit. Knowing Seifer, he's probably got the entire Galbadian army out there." 

Rinoa nodded and followed him in. She couldn't help but smile at the fact that a room filled with cars and bikes could somehow bring a lightness to a man's eyes. She closed the door carefully behind her as Squall began searching for keys in any of the ignitions. 

"As soon as we hear from the others we'll jack one of these and get outta here," he told her over his shoulder. 

She ran her hands down the sides of her dress, smoothing the white material. She loathed it. She was forced to wear it by the man she was now technically married to. 

Memories of when she had given up on herself flashed by. The blood, the relentless gnawing of the jagged glass against her skin… God, how she hated herself. 

As Squall proceeded to the back of the room, Rinoa turned her gaze to the window. She couldn't bear to let him see her cry. Squall was always so strong, so sure of himself. And she… well… 

She was now the opposite of that. 

As Rinoa struggled to keep the hot tears from falling, Squall made his way back to her. 

"Okay," he told her obliviously, "I got a key to one of the bikes. We'll be able to get around easier in it anyway." 

With her back to him, she merely nodded in response. 

_She's been through a lot, _Squall reminded himself. _Better just leave her alone._ He folded his arms with considerable patience and leaned his back against the wall. In the vague reflection that was available upon the glass, Rinoa let her watering eyes drift to him as he stood waiting casually. The awkward silence grew steadily between them. 

_I should apologize… _she thought suddenly._ He goes through so much for me…_Her mouth felt dry as she parted her lips to speak. 

"Squall, I'm s—" 

"I'm sorry." Squall blurted out instantaneously. 

Her glassy brown eyes grew wide. "Wh-what…?" 

"I'm sorry… Rinoa," he repeated. "It was my fault you had to go through all this. If I had protected you like I said I would, none of this would've happened." 

"Don't..." she begged softly. She could feel her voice begin to crack. 

Squall watched with surprise as she turned to face him. Her eyes, filled with sorrow and regret, penetrated him with their sadness. The tears streaked uncontrollably down the sides of her face. He had never seen her look so lost. 

"Don't blame yourself," she said as she brushed a hand under her eye. "I'm …sorry. I'm sorry for the trouble I'm causing… sorry for the fact that this all couldn't be easier… Squall…" 

She looked away to smile softly to herself. She had no choice but to reveal it to him. The part that made her weak. The part that perhaps... scared her the most. 

"I don't know what I'm suppose to do now…" There was almost a chuckle in her voice as the tears continued to fall. How foolish he would find her now. How can one lose perspective on the only thing that they're meant to do? But she couldn't help it. Everywhere around her people didn't want her help. They didn't deserve her help. They wanted her dead. And yet, she just kept trying… for what? 

"Rinoa…" Squall started softly. 

"…And for what!?" she continued, her emotions reaching mid-hysteria. "Because… I have to… There's people counting on me! But everyone else…! They're trying to… but I can't… Squall, I don't know what I'm doing anymore! WHAT AM I DOING!?" 

She could feel herself losing control as she unconsciously began clawing at the fabrics of her white dress. It was so pure yet, so tainted. Perhaps it identified with her a little too well. How horrible it felt against her. How horrible it felt to be trapped in such a fragile state. 

"Hey…! HEY!" Squall protested as Rinoa proceeded in attacking herself. He moved quickly to her and forcefully grabbed both her wrists. Without realizing it, she struggled against him. "Stop it!" he growled. "I need you to stay with me, okay!? Don't do this to yourself!" 

His stern voice brought about a tranquilizing effect as she slowly let her wrists rest in his restraining grip. Their breathing remained rapid as they stared at one another in silence. They didn't even react or seem notice when a group of Galbadia soldiers ran past Seifer's mansion. Squall's assumption had been correct. 

"...I'm scared." Rinoa whispered finally. "I'm so scared, Squall…" 

He set his mouth in a firm line as he let his hands move up to clasp her shoulders. "I know… I've been there. But I'm here for you, okay? You don't have to be scared." 

Rinoa's deep brown eyes sparkled majestically from her tears. Those eyes. Those same penetrating eyes that had continued to mystify him since day one. Squall continued to stare into them as he brushed away the strands of hair that had fallen infront of her face. He knew he had to hide his feelings. He knew that nothing good could come from what he wanted to do. And he knew that everything from that instant on would work against him. But in that moment, in that one perfect moment, it was just her. And he officially didn't care. 

With a gloved hand resting against her neck, he tilted Rinoa's angelic face upward and kissed her. Her eyes widened with surprise when she felt the familiar softness of Squall's lips against hers. Only this time, it was for the purpose she had daydreamed briefly about. Her worries and her fears seemed to temporarily vanish into a carefree nothing as Squall deepened the kiss. 

_Is this… how it's suppose to feel?_

A final tear rolled down her cheek as she smiled softly and closed her eyes. Everything felt so calm and yet, so thrilling at the same time. She couldn't help but feel serenely protected as he wrapped an arm around her waist and pressed her body against his. Their lips moved passionately in a kiss so brilliant and deep, nothing in the world could've pulled them apart. 

Time stood still. Worries were forgotten. For now... just for now... it was just them.

* * *

**Authors note: **Sorry for the wait... again. School is almost over but I still have two more provincial exams to write. haha plus summer is here, my car has no air conditioning, and heat makes me sleepy P so lately I've been either studying or sleeping... Zzz. As soon as school is out of the way I'll have these chapters up A LOT faster. So until then... sorry again for the wait. I guess this chapter was pretty self explanitory (short and sweet) For those of you wondering if Rinoa's slowly going mad? lol no.. but we all have emotional breakdowns at some point. By the way, the others (Zell, Quistis, Selphie and Irvine) haven't left or anything. They're all hiding somewhere in Deling City too. 


	10. Chapter 15: Selling What I Breathe

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa 

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Chapter 15: **Selling What I Breathe**  
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"You know, it really does smell worse than your room." 

Zell laughed and shrugged off the half-hearted comment as he continued to pick the lock on the metal sewer gate. With a soft, satisfying click, the rusty door swung open. Pleased with his work, Zell dusted his hands and stood off to the side. "Ladies first," he said with a gesture. Quistis rolled her eyes with a smirk and proceeded through to the next corridor. 

"Any signal yet?" she asked. 

Zell picked up his radio and tapped the small device impatiently. "Nothing yet… Squall's little temper tantrum really blew out the circuit." 

"It might be cause we're underground," Quistis pointed out as she eyed the steel surface above them. 

After being told to split up, Quistis and Zell had ran straight for the gateway tower where an unguarded sewer entrance was located. 

"Hey, Quistis?" 

"Mmm?" 

"All that stuff that Squall said the other day… what do you think about that?" 

She hesitated. 

"Cause y'know," Zell continued with a tint of embarrassment, "we all kinda went quiet after he told us how he felt about Rinoa. I'm just wondering if everyone was thinking what I was thinking…" He jammed his hands into his pockets. "…is all." 

"Hard to say…" Quistis began slowly. "You know how Squall is." 

"Of course! He's the strictest, cold-hearted son-of-a-bitch, you'll ever—" 

"Yes, that is the standard definition," Quistis interrupted quickly. "But once his mind is focused on something it's hard to tare him away." 

"Just like that time before…" 

Quistis stopped abruptly and turned to Zell. "What time before…?" 

"You know what I mean. There was that time before when…" he paused to scratch the base of his neck. "Hah… actually now I can't remember. Wait, let me think…" 

She tapped her foot impatiently. "Well?" 

"Don't know where that came from to be honest… The whole GF thing is screwing with my memories." 

"Are you trying to remember something from the orphanage?" 

His eyes immediately lightened. "Yeah, man! That's what I was talking about! Wow… it's just the way you described Squall… it kinda reminded me of something that happened." 

"But you have no idea what?" 

"Not a clue." 

Quistis wrinkled her nose as she walked across a fallen ladder that served as a bridge over the lake of sewage. "It's quite strange…" she began as she focused her attention on maintaining her balance, "Squall was able to remember a time as insignificant as Seifer throwing a book out a window." 

"Why's that strange?" Zell asked as he followed her across the ladder. 

"It seems like the rest of us only remember the major things. Like—" Her heels clicked loudly as she jumped from the ladder to the other side of the walk. "—I remember when I left the orphanage. I remember the day Irvine was adopted. But either than that…" She trailed off and shook her head. 

"Yeah, it was kinda weird how Squall just blurted it out," agreed Zell. "Hey, wait!" 

"What is it?" 

"Squall's junctioned to Shiva, right? But Shiva's become dormant ever since she helped revive Rinoa!" 

She stepped back and widened her eyes. "He's got one less GF… Of course! His memory may be rebuilding itself!" 

"Dude, we gotta tell him!" 

"First thing's first," she said as she lead the way down yet another corridor. "We have to find a way out of here before we find the others." 

"See how all the pipes are coming together?" Zell said as he pointed above them. "We're getting closer to the sewage treatment tower. We must be under the outskirts of Deling by now." 

"Know-it-all-Zell to the rescue," Quistis chuckled. "Go ahead and check that manhole then." 

Zell gave her a sarcastic salute as he climbed up the latter and cautiously lifted the lid. "Whoa!!" he exclaimed loudly. 

"What? What is it?" 

"I think we found the parking lot!" 

"What's so exciting about that?" 

"Oh," he said as he threw down a grin. "You'll see." 

* * *

It was an intriguing new addiction. Having been too busy for women all his life, Squall never thought he was missing out on much.

But this… THIS, was something else. 

Kissing Rinoa was like an euphoric high he thought never existed. The sweetness of her lips, the softness of her skin… she felt so fragile in his arms he fought the urge to press her closer. 

Eventually, a part of himself was able to break through. His thoughts were demanding him to regain his focus. To think clearly. To ask him just what the hell he thought he was doing. Squall reluctantly broke away. Their lips still lingered close as they now stood staring into eachothers' eyes. 

Rinoa smiled at him softly. Of course, she had realized it too. 

Sliding her hand from his arm to the base of his neck, she gently eased him back. "Squall…" she began in a whisper. "Why'd you have to do that…" 

It wasn't really a question. 

Embarrassed, he backed a few steps away from her. "Sorry," he apologized. "I probably shouldn't have—" 

"No, it's... okay." she assured. "But I was afraid of… Squall, you shouldn't have to care so much about me." 

"Don't tell me that." he muttered. 

"Squall…" 

"I need you to hear me out," he said placing a hand to her cheek. His intense blue eyes transfixed to hers. "Stay close to me. I'm not going to let anyone or anything hurt you. That includes Ultimecia." 

Rinoa's mouth opened with surprise, but no sound came out. Squall took it as an initiative to keep speaking. 

"I'll do it. I'll fight her. We'll go to the Gates of Time and I'll fight Ultimecia." 

"What are you saying…?" she asked in baffled whisper. 

"I'm saying stop this goddamn mission." 

"But—" 

"You said so yourself. You don't even know why you're doing this anymore, right?" 

His tone was becoming somewhat sharp. Growing unfazed, Rinoa stared him hard in the eyes. "It's… my responsibility." 

"Yeah, and you're MY responsibility," Squall pointed out. 

An amused, yet slightly insulted smile crept to her lips. "Is that all?" 

He dropped his hands to his sides. Being severely forward was the only method he knew of to get the message across, but this was different. He took a deep breath and softened his voice. "No. You're more than that to me. I'm just sorry it took this long for me to realize it." 

Rinoa lifted a graceful hand to this face and brushed the bangs from his eyes. Everything seemed so clear now. Any doubts she had about her motives were gone. Any questions she had about her purpose were answered. Now she had a reason. Now she could put a face to the future she was fighting for. She would do it for him. 

"You mean a lot to me too, Squall," she told him softly. "...thank you for that." 

_Thank you…?_ He furrowed his brow questionably at her. But before he could speak, a dull hint of static began to emit from his radio. 

Simultaneously, they both awkwardly looked away from each other as Squall turned on the radio from his pocket. 

"Yeah?" 

"Yo, Squall!" blared Zell's overly enthused voice. "Hey, it's working!" 

"Zell? Where are you?" 

"Hah! Dude, you'll never guess what I found and—Hey! Easy—!" A slight shuffling was heard followed by Selphie's cheerful, albeit slightly angry voice. "You didn't find anything! Irvy and me were here first, you moron! Hey Squall, it's Selphie! Is Rinoa with you?" 

Rinoa happily walked up to Squall's side. "I'm here!" 

"Woo! Rinoa, I'm glad you're safe! Listen you guys, we got the Ragnarok!" 

Squall raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "The fighter plane? How'd you manage that?" 

"After we all split up," came Irvine's voice suddenly, "Selphie and me found ourselves in the outskirts …which just so happens to be the Galbadian army's parking lot." 

"How'd you find Zell?" 

"He found us. Quistis too! We just need you guys and we'll be outta here in style!" 

"Nobody's out there?" 

"Nah, man!" Zell exclaimed confidently. "No one's looking for us out here; they're all in the city. You guys get out as quickly as you can and we'll have this thing fired up and ready to go!" 

"Okay," Squall agreed. "Be ready. This isn't going to be easy." 

He clicked off the transmitter and turned to Rinoa. "Shall we?" 

She nodded and followed him as he led the way to the back of the garage. The keys had been left in the ignition of a yellow, Galbadian motorbike. As he got on, he noted the white dress that Rinoa was wearing. 

"Are… you going to be okay in that?" Squall asked disdainfully. 

She wrinkled her nose at the dress. "I'll manage." While pulling the train to one side, Rinoa climbed awkwardly onto the space behind him. "Although if we could swing by the shopping center on our way out…" she joked. 

Squall smiled slightly and slammed his fist against a red button on the wall. The large garage door immediately began to slide open as he revved the motorbike with anticipation. He couldn't help but smile when he felt Rinoa wrap her arms around his waist. "Hold on tight," he instructed to her. "This is going to get a bit rough." 

Fearfully, she buried her face against his back. "Tell me when it's over…" 

* * *

"You're gonna drive this thing, Selphie!?" Zell exclaimed with some skepticism.

"Natch!" she said as she jumped into the pilot's chair. "I did the whole training course for it." 

"Yeah, but you're a chick!" 

"And you're a dumbass. Who would you rather have flying this thing?" 

Zell opened his mouth to speak but Quistis promptly smacked him in the back of the head. "Don't be foolish." 

The Ragnarok hummed to life as Selphie flipped on the switches and began typing on the ship's control panel. "First," she explained. "I'm going to hack the ship's identification tracker so Galbadia can't get a signal on us." 

Irvine hugged her quickly from behind. "Selphie's just amazing!" he proclaimed. 

She giggled. "Yeah, I'm a package… Hey! Do you guys hear that?" 

They all froze. Surely enough, several engines were heard roaring in the distance. Over a hundred Galbadian motorcycles and cars were seen rampaging in their direction. All were in hot pursuit of one yellow motorcycle that seemed to be leading the way. 

"There they are!" Zell exclaimed. "C'mon, Selph! Open the hatch and get this plane started!" 

She nodded quickly. "Roger!" 

After Selphie fiddled with some of the switches, they could feel the slight vibration under their feet as the platform began to lower. 

Meanwhile, Squall maneuvered the bike as best he could around the other vehicles to avoid the onslaught of machine fire. Escaping the city had been a real hoot. Any gunfire attempts were only made when in their direct pathway so Squall could be hit. As luck would have it, the Galbadian soldiers were still under strict orders not to harm the sorceress. 

Just ahead, the Ragnarok began to move. Sparks began to ignite as the steel platform scraped against the cement. With professional ease, Squall slowed the bike down just enough to skid onto the platform as the Ragnarok took flight. 

Once the platform had been raised to the main deck, Squall and Rinoa were quickly greeted by Zell, Quistis and Irvine. 

"Yeah, baby!" Zell exclaimed. "Squall, that was awesome!" 

Irvine gave Squall the usual slap on the back. "We got Rinoa back, a free plane, and a free bike, all in one day. Things are lookin' up!" 

"No more travelling on foot that's for sure!" Zell added. 

"And no more listening to you complain about it either!" Quistis laughed. 

As the three chattered on, Squall could only glance at Rinoa silently. He had yet to get a straight answer from her regarding the mission. And now, as she stood smiling softly at the others, something about her eyes seemed bound and determined to reluctantly break the mood. He would find out her answer soon enough. 

"Umm…" she began slowly. 

They all turned to face her. 

"There are only three days left even though the Ragnarok pretty much buys us time…" She paused to glance regretfully at Squall before continuing. "…I need to continue on with the mission first thing tomorrow." 

Quistis, Irvine and Zell exchanged worried glances and then stole a glimpse at Squall. He seemed to shrug it off as he leaned emotionlessly against one of the metal pillars. 

The silence grew less than tolerable. Quistis was the first to speak. "Of course, Rinoa… We're here for you." 

"Every step of the way," added Irvine. 

* * *

As the moonlight filtered through the glass casing of the Ragnarok passenger room, Squall sat arms crossed, and unwaveringly sleepless. He could only lean back and watch the night sky through the viewing window as the hours passed by.

The Ragnarok had been parked in the desert, far from any civilization. It was one of their last chances to get a good night sleep. The idea was nice. But unfortunately for Squall, insomnia was a battle he wouldn't win so easily this time. 

His thoughts were rebelling against him mercilessly. Each worry, temptation and doubt was running continuously through his head like a cynical wheel of torment. And it all came boiling down to one mockingly hideous question: 

_How am I suppose to let her do this? _

Slamming his eyes shut, he ran a frustrated hand through his hair._ I seemed okay with it before… what the hell was wrong with me? Maybe I could've convinced her then… I know I can't stop her from doing this but… Even so, I'm…_

He couldn't help but snicker at himself. "What are you going to do now…" he whispered scornfully. 

_I sure have changed. _

Maybe there really is nothing I can do. 

I wonder what everyone's thinking now…? 

"Squall?" 

Rinoa appeared in the aisle and walked almost cautiously down to his seat. 

"Hey…" he acknowledged dully. 

The moonlight seemed to make her glow as she took the seat next to him. 

_I guess there isn't too much I can say to her now…She'll only tell me she has to do what she has to do… _

"Listen, Squall…" she began hesitantly. 

"Can I be honest with you?" Squall interrupted. 

Rinoa blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected him to say anything at all. "Of course you can…" 

His eyes wouldn't meet hers as he began almost casually like an everyday conversation. "To tell you the truth... I worry too much about what others think. I hate that side of me..." he said as he stared straight ahead at the moon. "That's why I didn't want anyone to get to know me. I wanted to hide that side of myself. I hate it. Squall is an unfriendly, introverted guy. It made it easy for me when people perceived me that way." He sighed, almost in relief as if a great deal had been lifted from his chest. "That's a secret between you and me. Got that?" 

She smiled warmly at him and nodded. "I got it." 

Squall turned to look at her briefly; an unreadable expression upon his face. Without a word, he shifted in his chair to lean back easier. Now, he would actually try to get some sleep. 

Rinoa placed arm over his shoulder and guided him gently to lean against her. Confused by her actions, he was at a loss of words on how to react. Throughout his whole life, he had never let anyone get close enough to comfort him in such a way... even in its most miniscule of measurments. The feeling was odd. Unfamiliar. But he couldn't help but give in. Much to Squall's surprise, there were no feelings of discomfort or awkwardness as he rested his head against her chest. Without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her and could feel himself falling asleep to the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat. 

How serene a loving a gesture could feel. 

As she ran her fingers through his hair, she began humming softly to herself. A soft, simple tune. The last thing he remembered before falling asleep was a slight tinge of confusing familiarity. 

_That song… where have I heard that before?_

__

* * *

****

****

**9 YEARS EARLIER****  
**

**

* * *

**

"So let me come to you… Close as I wanna be… Close enough for me to feel your heart beating fast… and stay there as I whisper. How I loved your peaceful eyes on me…"

"Hey, where'd you learn that song?" 

"My mommy used to sing it to me." 

"So, where is she now?" 

"Heaven." 

"Oh…" 

"It's okay. Cuz' I got to meet you!" 

"Do you like me or something?" 

"Of course I do, Squall! Nobody else takes care of me like you do!" 

"Don't be weird, Ri—" 

* * *

Squall's eyes shot open. It was still dark. Rinoa was sleeping with him still against her. He was breathing hard as he began to feel the cold beads of sweat drench his forehead. His dream… that memory… that one important fragment in time, though in its smallest measurement, was flooding back like a tidal wave.

All the while it repeated through his head. That foggy conversation. He was speaking with a girl. Not Quistis or Selphie. Another girl… But… hadn't it always just been Quistis and Selphie? 

No. There had been someone else there. If not at the orphanage, than just that day. No face, no other memory was recollected. Just her name. That name circulated through his head like a chaotic whirlwind. Faster and faster. His other senses burned as if not knowing what to do with such an out of place, fragmented thought. It didn't belong anywhere. But it was just that name… 

"Rin." Squall whispered incoherently 

_Who's… Rin…?_

In the midst of his confusion, he didn't notice that Rinoa had awakened from the sound of his barely audible outburst. She stared hard at nothingness and slowly pulled away to look at him. 

"How do you know that name?"

* * *

**Authors note:** Well, that took much longer than usual P bleh. I wouldn't be surprised if ppl didn't even remember what it is my story's about. But anyway, it's summer, my final exams are all done, so I'll be much much MUCH better with getting chapters in (at LEAST once a week) I've been expanding this story so much in my head these past couple days I've just gotta get it out. Hmmm... wondering about the whole "Rin" thing? haha now that's the one thing I won't explan for now (Please let me know if you think Squall's getting too "mushy" from here on...I like keeping his character angsty) 


	11. Chapter 16: About Yesterday

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa

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Chapter 16: **About Yesterday**  
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All this **time** I've loved you  
And never **known** your face  
All this time I've **missed** you  
And **searched** this human race

. . .

_"Sorceress Rinoa possesses all the powers of the earth and the Guardian Forces combined. I know this because I had a hand in raising her. But because we had exerted all our energy into giving her these powers, there was not enough to have her born immortal. Rinoa was unfortunately given a human body when she was created…"_

* * *

"Squall, how do you know that name?" Rinoa repeated. "Why did you say it just now?"

Squall got up quickly to his feet. His sapphire eyes darted rapidly from side to side as he struggled to get a hold of the situation. "Rinoa…" he gasped hoarsely. "'Rin'… Did I…? Did I used to call you that?" 

She shook her head and regarded him cautiously. "No, you… didn't call me that…" 

In turn, he stared down at her just as carefully. Suspiciously, even. "Why does it seem like you know what I'm talking about?" 

Rinoa continued to appear unaffected. "I was just wondering—" 

"How I know that name? It's short for yours, isn't it?" 

"I don't know what you're trying to imply, Squall." 

"I'm not implying anything. All I'm saying is that you're reacting as oddly as I am to all this." 

"It just… surprised me, that's all." Rinoa half admitted. "Why'd you say it?" 

He felt himself calming down. She had a way about herself that made everything less chaotic than it had to be. Brushing the perspiration from his brow, he sat back down next to her in the leather red passenger chair. 

"I just remembered something from my past. In a dream, anyway." 

"What happened?" 

_It was… at the orphanage… _"It was somewhere." 

_I was talking to this girl that I remember…_"I was talking to someone." 

_Everything about her… the sound of her voice, the words she sang, the comfort I felt… It was all so familiar… _"It felt like I knew her…" 

_Everyone just called her 'Rin' but…_ "But I could be wrong." Squall shrugged. "I was only about eight years old… Could've been anyone passing through the orphanage." 

There it was again. The blur, the memory… It was pulsing like a red alert fire hazard. The image was becoming clearer. The girl… black hair, brown eyes… It was being triggered. 

"Perhaps." Rinoa murmured shortly. 

…Was it…? 

He watched her cautiously from the corner of his eye as she stood. "Don't worry about it," she said uneasily, her voice cracking the process. "Squall, I can't sleep. I'm going to get some air." 

He nodded without speaking and stared off to the side darkly. He waited until he heard the doors click shut before he stood abruptly from his seat to follow her. As much as he dreaded losing his temper, he knew the interrogation was inevitable. 

* * *

__

__

_What are you, crazy? _Rinoa hissed angrily to herself. _It didn't mean anything! It could've been anyone! What are the odds!?_

She was pacing forward in no particular direction from the Ragnarok. She wasn't running away, she just needed to think. To scream. To… remember. She didn't notice that Squall had descended from the lift and was following her in hot pursuit. 

He was far from being an idiot. As mysterious as Rinoa was, he could see right through her when she hid something. And something wasn't right. Somehow he sensed the connection in her eyes and maybe, just maybe, he sensed it too. In fact, now he was almost positive. Slowing his pace, he caught up to her and stopped several feet away. 

"Rin…" he hazardized. 

Rinoa froze in her tracks. Her blood seemed to stiffen. She laughed bitterly to herself. 'Her' blood? Now that was amusing. It wasn't even hers. 

Brushing the newly formed tears from her eyes, she turned slowly to face him. "…What?" 

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" he demanded. 

She couldn't stop herself from crying softly as his bitter stare tore her apart. "What do you want me to say?" she seethed through her tears. 

"That you were there!" Squall yelled with a sharp gesture of his arm. 

"I can't!" 

"Why!?" 

"Because I can't remember!" 

He narrowed his turbulent blue eyes in confusion. "What…?" 

"…I can't remember… Squall…" she closed her eyes as her damp cheeks endured yet another downfall of tears. "They took everything when they… when I…" she shook her head in frustration. "I'm not the 'Rin' that you remember." 

"Then… who are you?" he asked skeptically. 

She sighed. "I was… Sorceress Rinoa first. That's it. I was created, remember? Big ball of floating, formless energy…" 

"…who was _given_ a human body…" Squall finished with hidden bewilderment. "You weren't created with one…" 

"No…" Rinoa smoothed back her hair and brushed her dampened cheeks. "Shiva told me… when I was mature enough, I was to posses a parentless girl from an orphanage and grow from there. Shiva chose a girl named Rinoa Heartilly…well, me… We are one in the same person. Have been for nine years. However, when I was taken away from humans, Shiva chose to wipe any of the original memories I should have… So I really don't know if I was there with you…" 

She hesitated with a soft, yet sad smile. "But hearing you say the name Rin… It felt familiar. Like I hadn't heard it for the longest time…I guess that's the lost side of me speaking." 

"You were there with me…" Squall told her quietly. "Why else would Shiva erase my memories? Why else would the other GF's erase the memories of everyone else from the orphanage? It never had anything to do with the junctioning system!" He laughed in disgust of himself and shook his head. "They didn't want us to know. Why the hell didn't I see this all before?" 

"Squall…" Rinoa whispered. 

"Sorry," he said quickly. "It's just a lot to absorb." 

"I know… I'm sorry too." 

"…Let's get back," Squall said turning towards the Ragnarok. He gestured for her to follow but kept several steps ahead. It was hard to look at her. She may have not remembered anything from the orphanage, but he did. While she spoke, the pieces had all fallen together. More images, more sounds, more emotions… Little by little, his past was rebuilding itself around Rinoa… or Rin…. The absence of Shiva was probably helping give space while Rinoa's presence was what triggered the memories to flood back. No wonder he always felt so comfortable around her. She was familiar in so many ways. 

And it kind of scared him. 

If only she knew what he'd gone through when she vanished from the orphanage. How torn apart and alone he felt. How this had all somehow turned him into the bitter, cold-hearted Commander he was today. 

* * *

He could hear the rain falling. The sounds, both distant and close, slamming against the cold slabs of rock.

Everything was black, but… 

"...Rin... I'm...all alone. But I'm doing my best..." 

…the voice was so clear. 

_I was always waiting for 'Rin' to come back. She was my friend at the orphanage._

"I'll be ok without you, Rin. I'll be able to take care of myself." 

_Always getting into trouble, always scraping her knees…But, when she cried she always yelled for me… never for any of the adults. _

"…Rin…" 

_I always looked out for her. Didn't much like talking to her, but I didn't mind listening..._

"If you're in trouble, Rin… I'll save you… somehow…" 

_Then one day she disappeared. Vanished. Probably taken by Shiva… but I blamed myself._

"I'm sorry I was always so mean. I hope you'll come back…" 

_After a couple nights of that I just sort of… forgot about her… It seems Shiva made us forget her too. It was like 'Rin' had never existed. But deep down… something inside me wouldn't forget. I never wanted to be friends with anyone. Without even knowing why, I pushed everyone away, started fights, ignored the adults… I guess that was how I wanted to protect myself… Now I finally know the reason behind it. _

Rinoa Heartilly…black hair, big brown eyes… thoughtful sense of humor, stubborn for the most part… I remember a day when she stood at the top of a large mountain of boulders by the beach. I called her stupid for standing so close to the edge. She called me a 'Meany' but then lost her footing. I ran as fast as I could but she had already fallen from the cliff. I remember only seeing the rushing waters below before I completely lost it. I screamed her name like it was the end of the world, fell to my knees, and cried like a baby. And all the while I couldn't hear her crying softly just below me. She had only fallen to one of the ledges right underneath. I saved her on my own, of course… but from that day on, I didn't want to let her out of my sight. 

Is it really possible to fall for someone when you're just a kid? 

I thought I did… I went mad after she disappeared. And even after she was taken from my memory, some of that madness still stuck around. I guess I needed her…and now I sort of had her back. …Sort of. 

Guess it was inevitable that I had fallen for her all over again. 

* * *

As Rinoa stood watching the night sky from the viewing window, her ivory skin glowing in the intense moonlight, she was at a loss of words. She would've liked to think that Squall was thinking of another girl from another orphanage. That her past could remain a question mark so she didn't have to think about it during the final battle. But everything fit so well. So ironically well. Now a part of her was begging to have the mission stopped. A part of her that belonged to the little girl… Rin… Now she was grown up and saying 'I've lived my life through you. Don't kill me without giving me a chance!'

_But that's why the Seven Day Sacrifice was made… so this body could live on and have a chance…_

She felt cold. Her body shivered in response as she hugged herself and continued staring out. The doors slid open behind her. It was Squall. She didn't have to turn around. 

It was still late. After they returned to the Ragnarok, Squall seemed to immediately wander off on his own to sleep or …think. She wasn't sure. She wasn't sure at all as to how he was reacting. How was _she_ reacting? Did this revelation really make things that much harder? 

As Squall made his way to Rinoa, he froze when he saw her in the moonlight. She was wearing what looked to be something borrowed from either Selphie or Quistis. A plain white shirt that seemed to fit like a nightgown clung to her figure and radiated with her skin. Her black hair, shining brightly and cascading against her shoulders, made her all the more enticing. She looked beautiful. Not only that, she looked indescribably sexy. 

He gritted his teeth. This was not the time to be giving in to his natural testosterone-driven instincts. Swallowing hard, he walked up to her, letting his eyes drift anywhere but where she was standing. 

_God, I can't handle this…_

"Squall…" she began with some hesitation. "I hope this doesn't change anything." 

"It doesn't really…" he shrugged. "But it does answer a lot of questions about the past. Both of ours actually. I'm just glad to know that nothing happened to you back then… sort of…" 

Rinoa smiled softly. "Small world, I guess." 

"Yeah… We should let everyone know tomorrow." 

She nodded and stroked a hand down his arm. "Okay…" 

_Is she trying to drive me insane…? _He swallowed hard again and tried to take his eyes off her. No such luck. Was she waiting for him to do something? No… that's how innocent she was. She was almost completely unaware of the impact she could have on a male. He could see it in her eyes as she again, stroked his arm and said simply: "I think we should try getting some sleep…" 

_Screw it…_

She had only taken a few steps when Squall's hand shot out and grabbed her forearm. He pulled her roughly into his arms and kissed her with a little more force than he had the first time. She couldn't help but gasp in surprise of his sudden aggression. The need to be held, the sensation, the comfort… it was all so captivating. She kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck as he tightened his grip around her waist. She knew it wasn't right… but it sure as hell felt like it. She couldn't stop herself from giving in and neither could he it would seem… 

He couldn't stop kissing her. He couldn't let her go. God, how he couldn't let her go. He released her lips and trailed down her neck, taking in the taste and smell of her soft, ivory skin. 

For Rinoa, the feelings were completely foreign. As Squall kissed and teased her neck, the feelings of pleasure shocked her very existence. She almost couldn't breathe as he picked her up and held her against the cold steel wall behind her. 

"…Squall…" she managed to gasp. "Stop… we can't do this…" 

Once again he was brought rudely back to reality. Common sense had hit him as he reluctantly placed her back on the ground. It wasn't right to start something with her. She didn't want him to care so much and he couldn't let himself get attached…all just incase… 

_Damn!_

"Right…" he said shyly. "Sorry." 

She placed a hand to his face and gently brushed the copper strands from his eyes. "I don't know what's going to happen, Squall. But I do know that I want to be with you when it's all over." 

"Everything'll work out," he assured. "It has to." _Won't it?_

"Promise?" 

_I wish I could…_"Yeah… I promise."

* * *

**Authors note: **I hope that wasn't too complicated. I rewrote it several times cause each time I'd read it and be like... what the hell am I talking about?? hehe I'll go over it again: two different things happening at once... 'Orphan Rinoa' being raised at the orphanage, and the 'Savior' prophecy coming into play. Rinoa is raised with Squall and the others while the Guardian Forces are off accumulating their energy to make a sorceress/savior. Rinoa was chosen to host the powers because... umm.. I'm not sure. Right place at the right time? The powers were given to her (thus the melding of the sorceress spirit and Rinoa herself making 'Sorceress Rinoa') and she was taken away by Shiva and the others to be raised on their teachings (ie. how to use her powers, what her prophecy is...blah blah) But because no one, particularly Ultimecia's followers, was to know of what was happening, the memories of those who knew Rinoa Heartilly were wiped (a little extremely too) And just in case Sorceress Rinoa tried to come in contact with someone from her past, her memory of "Rin's orphanage life" was taken away as well. I hope that makes sense... I can clarify some more in the later chapters. Beginning lyrics are from the song 'Gorecki' by Lamb. 


	12. Chapter 17: The Worst Mistake

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa  
  
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Chapter 17: **The Worst Mistake**  
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_I shouldn't have made that promise. But a lie would be more comforting than the truth ever could… The truth being I really didn't know what the hell was going to happen… _

_Shit… _Squall had thought remorsefully. _Rinoa, I… don't know what to say…_

The night can do some funny things to a person. Usually it's meant for sleeping, dreaming… but for others, a time to think something through till you've dissected it completely. Leaving the remains of fragmented thoughts; the pieces to a jigsaw puzzle that by all means when put together, is merely a piece to an even greater jigsaw puzzle. 

Since childhood, Squall had too many thoughts to count. Too many worries, too many frustrations. They kept him up at night. Whether it was about a mission or merely a routine recruit interview the next day, he often glared about it too much after the sun went down. 

This night of course, wouldn't have been any different. In fact, it should've been worse. With all that was happening, Squall knew he'd be up thinking about Rinoa, the mission, the prophecy… He'd be lucky if he could catch a few minutes of sleep throughout the whole night; it was natural after all. 

But something was different this time… 

Squall decided to keep a barrier between Rinoa and himself by not sleeping beside her. But as he sat in the isle on the floor leaning his head against one of the seats, Rinoa got up from where she rested and kneeled down beside him. She didn't speak a word as her infinite brown eyes watched him curiously. He was lost in them… the good kind of lost. The kind where you didn't want to find your way back and you'd fight to the death to make sure you didn't. 

"Squall, I… umm…" She was shaking slightly-but not from the cold. "Can I just… stay with you?" 

He wasn't particularly sure what she meant, but agreed nonetheless. "Okay…" 

Every light from the night sky seemed to sparkle across her eyes as she smiled and took hold of his hand. He tilted his head questionably at her, but didn't argue or resist as she raised his arm and crawled in beside him. She winked at him coyly before lowering his arm around her shoulders. He smirked at first, but smiled and held her close as she rested her head under his chin. 

It was comforting. Settling… 

_How does she do that…?_

Without thinking, he kissed the top of her head and leaned back against the seat once more. His impression was that she would sleep, he would protect her all night and then argue with his thoughts till morning. But that was when something was different… 

He fell asleep. 

* * *

The morning had been exhausting. With a loud "Ahem" from Zell, Squall and Rinoa had woken up to a number of amused spectators.

"So, what were you guys up to last night?" Zell asked with a smirk. 

Squall shrugged uncomfortably and got up quickly to his feet. "None of your damn business." 

Rinoa shot Squall a look before clearing her throat. "Actually… there is something we have to tell you all…" 

The conversation had been long and grew increasingly difficult to comprehend. Rinoa was Rin, there was a purpose behind their tarnished memories, and part of Rinoa really was an actual human being. Needless to say, a lot of questions were asked. Skepticism was unavoidable… and why wouldn't it be? Their pasts had been entwined with Rinoa since before they met and now they were coincidentally destined to be her protectors. However, the revelation had struck a chord. 

"Hey…" Zell said slowly. "Quistis, remember what we were talking about in the sewers?" 

"That thing in which you couldn't remember?" Quistis recollected. 

"Yeah! That's what I was trying to bring up! That thing that Squall couldn't let go of?" 

Squall turned to him sharply. "What?" 

"After Rin left the orphanage, you—" 

"Zell!" Quistis cut in. "I got it! You can leave it alone now." 

Squall let out a sigh of frustration. "We don't need to have it all flood back at once." 

"This is like, so weird…" Selphie said quietly from where she sat. "The name 'Rin' is actually kinda familiar… and I can somehow picture her in my head…" 

"Kinda hurts," Irvine added as he removed his hat to rub his temple. "I'm trying so hard to remember but… nothing." 

Quistis placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "You've had it done more than once… I'm not surprised." 

"Double whammy," Zell chuckled slightly. "Don't strain yourself, buddy." 

"Irvine," Rinoa said suddenly. "If… everything works out with Ultimecia and I'm still around… I'll try getting your memory back… Everyone's." she added quickly at the end. They had given her so much and yet she had only taken away… perhaps she was at fault for everything. 

"Thanks, Rinoa." Irvine said smiling. "You're a babe." 

Squall headed for the doors but stopped and turned briefly to the others. "Let's get upstairs. I hate to bring it up, but the last day of the alignment is tomorrow. We can't waste time on this." 

"He's right," Selphie admitted as she turned to Rinoa. "So! Got any ideas on where you want me to fly this thing?" 

The sorceress let her gaze fall to the window. "It's…uhh…" She clasped her eyes shut and began tracing an invisible line in the air with her fingertips. Suddenly, she dropped her hand only to shake her head in frustration. "No good…" she murmured. "I need a better visual to work with-" Rinoa stopped and turned to Selphie. "Got a map up there?" 

Once they were all upstairs in the main control room, Rinoa began staring hard at the computer's digital map. She glided her fingers slowly across the screen trying to pinpoint a location using her natural sorceress intuition. She could feel the waves of energy flowing in from one annoyingly unspecific direction. Somehow, she had to convert what she was 'feeling' into something that could be seen by the others without using any real magic. 

"Are you feeling okay?" Squall asked after several minutes. 

She sighed from the amount of taxation. "Yeah, it's just…it's a little tough without using my powers." 

Squall nodded his understanding and Rinoa continued. The others remained silent so she could concentrate. After circling the screen several times, her fingers finally came to a rest. She opened her eyes and cocked her head to the side. "What island is that?" 

Squall got up quickly to join her and stared into the screen. "The 'Island Closest to Hell'…" he muttered under his breath. Zell practically fell from his chair. "Dude, are you kidding me!?" 

Rinoa raised her eyebrows in surprise. "What's the Island Closest to Hell?" 

"It's a monster infestation," Squall said shaking his head. "A lot of rare beasts… most of them damn near impossible to kill." 

"Are the Gates of Time there?" Quistis asked. Rinoa nodded with some hesitation. "I'm most certain." 

Trying her best to stay optimistic, Selphie leaped into the pilot's chair and began starting the engine. "Well, if it's where we gotta go, then it's where we gotta go!" 

The power of the Ragnarok was unimaginable. It traveled at incredible speeds due to the fact that it was also made for the purpose of spacecraft. As the plane approached the rather small island, blazing streaks of blue light were seen exploding from random areas of the forest. 

"What is that…?" asked Rinoa. 

"Blue orbs," Quistis explained. "The island itself has a bit of a security system. We must be very careful of those when travelling in the heavily wooded areas." 

When the plane finally landed on the sandy shores of the island, Squall took out his gunblade and rested it up against his shoulder. "You girls stay here for a couple minutes," he instructed. "Me, Irvine and Zell are gonna go secure the area." 

The three of them descended the Ragnarok and drew out their weapons. 

The shore, as expected, was deserted for the most part. Zell relaxed and patted a hand on Squall's shoulder. "Hey buddy, I've been meaning to ask…what's going on with you and Rinoa?" 

The young Commander sighed in aggravation, but then noticed that Irvine was watching him oddly from the corner of his eye. _Oh right… _Squall remembered. Irvine had been the one who told him that feeling something for Rinoa wasn't right. That he had to let it go before it was too late. _Maybe it'll somehow make things easier…_

"I don't know what you're talking about." Squall told Zell roughly. 

"Sure ya do!" the blonde boy persisted. "What was all that cuddling you two did last night, huh?" 

"She was cold," he answered simply. "I was suppose to let our Savior freeze to death?" 

Irvine was still watching Squall; unconvinced. 

Zell, on the other hand, was growing increasingly confused. "B-But that stuff you told us before…?" 

"Temporary infatuation," Squall shrugged with an almost military-like tone. "I take it all back." 

"But, Squall—" 

"Zell, PLEASE. Just leave it alone!" he exploded suddenly. "It doesn't matter now, and even if it did, it wouldn't anyway because I don't love her, alright?!" 

"Squall…" 

"Do I fucking have to spell it for you, Zell? I'm here to protect her so I can get paid. Happy now?" 

Zell dropped his gaze to the ground and this time, Irvine was the one to speak. "Hey, uhh…" His eyes shifted uncomfortably behind Squall and then back again. He could feel his stomach immediately freeze. 

"Hey…" came the familiar voice from behind. Squall shut his eyes and cursed silently to himself. 

"…I can feel the time magic. It's pretty much everywhere," Rinoa continued from where she stood beside the lift. "I just need a little more time to pinpoint the actual location of the Gates. I hope that's okay." 

Silence. 

Squall didn't know what to say as he stared at her blankly with an almost moronic expression. His mouth felt dry as he opened it to speak… He wanted to explain…apologize…anything that was the actual truth! But instead, all that came out was an awkward: "Sure." 

She smiled sadly as she brushed past him and began walking along the shore. 

Zell whistled shortly and shoved his hands into his pockets. "Tried to warn ya, man…" 

Irvine shook his head and wrapped an arm around Squall's shoulder. "Look, I know what you're trying to do…" 

"Get off." Squall warned as he pushed off Irvine's grip. 

"It _was_ for the best, but I don't think it's going to work anymore. Not for you." he continued, "It's …too late for that." 

"It's too late for a lot of things…" Squall muttered. 

"Hey, I hate to interrupt," Zell said awkwardly. "But I can't see Rinoa anywhere." 

"She's probably in the woods," Squall assumed, thankful for the slight shift in conversation. "I'll go look after her. You guys go get the others and prepare the weapons." 

As he turned his back and began walking towards the woods, he heard Irvine's voice behind him. "Squall, just forget what I said! Do whatever you feel, okay? Things'll probably work out for the best!" Followed by a curious, "Why? What did you say?" from Zell. 

* * *

As Rinoa reached a clearing in the woods, she saw the bright yellow creature again. It flapped its feathered wings and approached her cautiously this time instead of moving further away. She had spied it while on the beach; a yellow Chocobo.

The large, gentle bird walked close enough so she could extend her hand and run it gently across its bronze-colored beak. She laughed with amazement as the Chocobo seemed to purr softly under her touch. 

"You're the prettiest Chocobo I've ever seen," she paused thoughtfully to herself. "Well, you're the only Chocobo I've ever seen… but I'm sure you're the prettiest." 

The yellow bird nudged its head playfully at her so she could pet the top of its head. She smiled and sighed as she stroked the soft yellow feathers. She had heard every word that Squall seemed to announce to the universe, yet a part of her was somewhat glad to hear it. If love wasn't holding her back then she could do everything without hesitation. If Squall was merely infatuated then it would end soon enough. 

_Still… _Rinoa thought sadly. _It felt real. I was happy…_

Suddenly, the Chocobo lifted its head and ran off deeper into the woods. 

_I seem to have that effect… _she thought dryly. 

"Rinoa!" 

She turned in surprise to see Squall approaching her from behind. She could only guess that he was there to explain himself. 

"Squall, listen—" Rinoa began but stopped when she noticed something odd about his expression. His cold blue eyes appeared shocked, scared and surprised all at the same time. Even though he was standing several feet away, she could tell he looked worn out, as if he had been chasing after her. 

"Squall? Is everything alright?" 

Before he could open his mouth to speak, his eyes darted quickly into the woods behind her where a bright light seemed to manifest itself out of nowhere… 

* * *

"So that's why Squall had the sudden change of heart…" Zell mused. "YOU got under his skin!"

"I only told him what we were all thinking!" Irvine said in his defense. "You could tell he didn't mean it anyway… Poor Rinoa though." 

"Don't tell me she overheard his ramblings…" Quistis sighed. 

"Walked right into the middle of it," Zell said shaking his head. "She didn't get upset or anything though. Actually she didn't mention it." 

"I would've slapped him so hard…" Selphie giggled half-heartedly. 

"They've been gone a long time…" Irvine said suddenly as he finished reloading his rifle. He got up impatiently and stared off into the woods. "I hope everything's-" 

"HEY!!" came a loud shout from the woods. They recognized it immediately to be their leader's voice. "You guys, get over here!" 

They grabbed their weapons quickly and darted off into the woods. "Watch out for any of that flying blue shit!" Zell warned over his shoulder. 

When they reached a clearing, they saw Squall on his knees bent over Rinoa's body. He was checking her vital signs desperately while she lay motionless on the earth's cold ground. 

"Shit!" Squall cursed angrily. "I think she got hit by a blue orb… she's not waking up." 

_C'mon, Rinoa… Fuck, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…_

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* * *

**Authors note: **For those of you who didn't play the game as obsessively as I did, the Island Closest to Hell is a real place on the FF8 world map (as is the Island Closest to Heaven) good place to level up and recieve rare items (but there are no flying balls of blue magic lol I made that up) You can't really tell now.. but this chapter is very, VERY significant to the ending so I'm sure you'll come back to it later ;) Mwahaha btw, thanks **Dark Angels** and **lady-rinoa** for being patient with me. I am part snail after all P 


	13. Chapter 18: Back To Where We Lasted

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa  
  
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Chapter 18: **Back To Where We Lasted**  
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Almost immediately, Rinoa's eyes fluttered open in surprise as if awakening from a nightmare-driven sleep. Before returning to its natural brown vibrancy, her eyes flashed a tint of serpent-like gold before being restored. Her sorceress abilities had once again assisted her in a quick recovery. 

Squall stared down at her in bewilderance. "Rinoa!" 

"Heyyy!" Selphie squealed. "You're okay!" 

With some uncertainty, Rinoa glanced around and propped herself up against her arms. She looked tiredly up at Squall with a rather doubtful expression. "…When is it?" 

He exchanged glances with the others before looking back down at her. "You weren't passed out long. It's still a day before the alignment." 

"Rinoa, what happened? Did you get hit by one of those blue orb things?" Zell asked. 

She blinked rapidly and placed a hand to her forehead. "Yeah… I'm okay. It just got a little intense…" 

Squall frowned at her. "Are you sure?" _You look exhausted…_

Forcing a smile, she waved a hand casually in the air to dismiss any unneeded severity on the matter. "I'm fine," she assured. "I've wasted time actually… I'm sorry." 

"Nah, don't be sorry!" Irvine laughed. "Could've been any one of us!" 

"Although we probably wouldn't have survived," Quistis pointed out. 

"You're great in these situations, Quisty," Irvine said shaking his head. "Real optimistic." 

Squall turned his back and began rubbing the back of his neck. There it was… that uncomfortable feeling again. His natural defense system began fighting off the rush of feelings he had felt while Rinoa was unconscious. Combined with the earlier conversation with Irvine, the stress, and the doubt… things started to feel a bit…hazy. He didn't know how to stop himself as he opened his mouth to speak. "You shouldn't have wandered off on your own anyway, what the hell were you thinking?" 

Everyone looked up at him in shock of his sudden sharpness towards her. Rinoa; however, raised an eyebrow, but didn't look the least bit surprised. "I'm sorry," she repeated. 

_Way to speak out your ass, you moron… _"Fine, whatever. Just stay close," he said with a faint hint of sincerity. With that, he marched back towards the Ragnarok. 

Rinoa simply stared after him as Quistis and Zell helped her to her feet. "Rinoa, remember what I told you…" Quistis whispered. 

"'It's just the way he is sometimes.'" Rinoa quoted tediously. "It's alright, you guys. I've got a fairly good understanding of him now…" 

A rather odd smile took over her lips as she proceeded back to the Ragnarok. 

Placing her hands on her hips, Selphie glanced back at the others. "Did anyone else just find that really weird…?" 

* * *

It was the night before the final alignment. The eve to Ultimecia's forthcoming. A matter of hours before the unimaginable. The stars didn't seem to mind as they continued to shine their brilliance throughout the night sky. Or perhaps they knew…and it was their last balled of hope to all those justifying their freedom. The night felt so calm and perpetual, who would've thought that an apocalypse was so dangerously close?

While everyone else sat around the campfire, Rinoa stood off to the side staring up into the infinite darkness. After traveling deeper into the island, she now knew where the Gates of Time were located. They were all close enough to pursue it at daybreak. There was no turning back. 

The tension began to build, particularly around Zell as he spontaneously punched Squall in the shoulder. "So what the hell was that, huh?" 

"What's your deal?!" Squall growled angrily. "Are you not getting this whole 'mind your own business' thing?" 

Zell glanced behind him quickly to make sure Rinoa wasn't listening before he turned back to argue further. "All I'm sayin' is that your anger management issues couldn't have come at a worse time!" 

"Zell, please…" Quistis warned quietly. 

"It has to be said!" Zell hissed. "This might be it for Rinoa and you're bitching about some pretty goddamn awful things right before! Is that really helping either of you?" 

Squall simply shrugged and looked away without speaking. _Guess there IS some wisdom in that bantering jackass…_

Rinoa turned and approached them, obviously provoked by the detection of cataclysm. "Is everything okay?" 

"Everything's fine, Rinoa." Quistis said as she shot a warning glance towards Squall and Zell. "Don't let us bother you." 

She nodded and wandered back to where she was alone with her thoughts. 

Squall stared after her until only her darkened silhouette could be seen against the moonlight. Sighing angrily, he leaned over and placed a hand to his forehead. _What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I pushing everything away like this? One minute I can't stay away from her, and then the next…_

He glared out at himself. _I really did get screwed up after Rin left…Everything I feel has to be mixed with something else; there can never be anything solid. What a fucking barrel of laughs. _

Lowering his hand from his forehead, he looked over to watch Rinoa. He had no idea what she thought of him now…it worried him actually. _Maybe I should apologize…_he thought hesitantly. _But then what am I suppose to say? Sorry I snapped…? Sorry I said I didn't love you when… _He continued to watch her in silence._ I don't love her…I can't love her…_ Squall shook his head in frustration. _God, I don't know anymore…_

Uncertainty was the only thing he knew for sure. 

"Well!" Selphie announced as her perky voice broke the silence. "Think I'll catch a little shut-eye. Wouldn't wanna fall asleep during time compression." 

"I hear ya," Irvine agreed. He lay down and tipped his hat over his eyes. "See y'all in the morning." 

"Rinoa!" Zell called. "We're hittin' the hay!" 

She turned and smiled with a wave of her hand. "You guys go ahead. I'm not tired." 

As Quistis and Zell soon fell asleep along with Irvine and Selphie, Squall was still left awake by the fire. The soft crackling and faint ember fireflies did very little to fill the void. Not that sleep felt like an option… he figured he would stay up and keep watch considering they were in the middle of a monster-infested island. 

He would glance up occasionally at Rinoa who still remained so fixated on the night sky. She seemed so strong and yet… fragile at the same time. With the weight of the world on her shoulders, the fate of her destiny just hours away…with everything staring her in the face…she was still so brave. So serene. 

He narrowed his eyes in a discombobulated manner when she began to walk farther away than he would've liked. Considering she had her blaster-edge with her, she probably would've been fine on her own. But Squall, without thinking twice, grabbed his gunblade and ran after her anyway. 

"Hey!" he called. "Where are you going?" 

Rinoa glanced back at him and stopped abruptly. "Oh, I just wanted to see the view from the edge. I'm sorry if I woke you." 

"I was awake," he said as he propped his weapon against his shoulder. "It's dangerous out here. I told you to stay close to me." 

She smiled and brushed away the strands of hair that fell against her face. "Care to join me then?" 

He glanced around, half expecting her to have been speaking to someone else. "Fine…" he sighed with typical reluctancy. "You just wanted to look over the edge?" 

"Right in that clearing up ahead." 

He shrugged. "Lead the way." 

When they approached the clearing, Rinoa sat and hugged her knees at the edge of the cliff as she quietly resumed stargazing. Squall, unsure of what to say, awkwardly sat down next to her and helped her watch. 

He knew he owed her an apology… or some sort of explanation at least. But she didn't seem the least bit angry or upset. Perhaps it was just her way... Forgiving. Of course, she had other things to think about. That was obvious. 

"Rinoa…" he began mildly. "Look, about what I said…" 

"How strong are the monsters out there?" Rinoa interrupted quickly. 

_Huh?_ "What?" 

"Out there," she said as she pointed behind them. "Behind us. How strong would you say?" 

_Is... she toying with me? _"Well… the stronger monsters are down below. We're higher up so the ones up here wouldn't be too difficult to kill." 

"Good to know…" she said as she got up quickly to her feet. 

He watched her with confusion as she began to fasten the weapon that was attached to her arm. "So… same wager as before?" she asked. 

_What is she…? Oh, right… _Squall couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head. "We still never wagered anything…" 

She laughed with him and grabbed his arm to force him to his feet. "Then you remember…I'm glad. C'mon, let's go. I probably won't get another chance." 

Even though the air was slightly disturbed by her last sentence, he got up willingly and fought beside her. Back to back, just the way they always had back in the training center. Squall with his gunblade, Rinoa with her blaster-edge. Competing against each other to mask the fact that they were actually working together. A team. A friendship. But she was distressingly right… perhaps there wouldn't be another chance? 

_What if I won't get another chance… _

As another monster charged at him, Squall ripped his gunblade through its chest and pushed it off before calling out to her. "Rinoa!" 

She was busy aiming her weapon but glanced up at him. "What is it?" 

"We-" Squall paused to duck from the swinging tail of another monster. "We have to talk!" 

"What did you say?" 

"I said-!" he was stopped again when the monster took another swing. The aggressive blue dragon was starting to get on his nerves. "Hold on," he said as he slashed his gunblade across the dragon's side. It roared in fury and tried again to lash its jaws at the young boy. Squall dodged it and brought his weapon down hard on the dragon's neck, ending its life instantly. 

Tired, he wiped the sweat from his brow and watched Rinoa successfully kill the last monster that could be seen in the area. Breathing heavily, she caught her metal disc in midair and attached it back to her arm. She smiled softly at him before giving a slight nod of gratitude for his company. 

As Rinoa left to return to the clearing, Squall moved quickly infront of the raven-haired girl and slammed his hand against the closest tree, blocking her escape with his arm. 

"We have to talk," he repeated in a more forceful tone. His bold move surprised her as she timidly looked up at him. 

"Okay…" she answered quietly. 

He looked away and sighed. This was going to be tough. "What I said to Irvine and Zell… I didn't…" It took all of his strength just to look her directly in the eye. "… I didn't mean it." 

Rinoa's eyes remained placid as she stared up deeply into his. When he opened his mouth again to actually apologize, she stopped him by resting a finger against his lips. "I know…" she said as she maneuvered around him. He could only stare after her-completely speechless from her understanding demeanor. 

"Hey!" Rinoa called suddenly. Her voice broke the trance and he quickly made his way back to the mountain's edge where she waited. 

"You missed the shooting star!" she exclaimed when he arrived. 

"So…?" 

"Well, excuse me for being excited," she pouted. "The last time I saw one was…that night at the celebration banquet." She turned to smile at him coyly. "Right before I got you to dance with me…" 

Squall smirked and folded his arms. "You just had to, huh?" 

"I was trying to get you to talk to me," she reminded. "SeeD members dance quite well, don't they?" 

He shook his head. "It's not part of my job description." 

She laughed and he let himself give her a half-smile. Turning his back to her, he stared out over the edge and watched the perpetual twilight shine around him. It really was something so rare and unappreciated. 

"A lot's happened since then," he said in the midst of his gaze. "That all feels like it was years ago…" 

"I kinda miss how it went on forever…" Rinoa admitted softly. "Now it feels like nothing's slowing us down." 

It was that fatal realization again. That tormenting possibility. It was quite possibly his last chance to be honest. 

"Rinoa…" Squall began as he lowered his eyes. "I don't wanna lose you after this…" 

She could only watch his back with glassy eyes as he lowered his head somewhat mournfully. 

_I don't want to lose you either…_

Without speaking, Rinoa walked slowly forward and clutched him from behind. As she wrapped her arms tightly around Squall's waist, he could feel her warmth while she buried herself against his back. Setting his mouth in a firm, unwavering line, he placed a hand upon hers as she continued to hold onto him for dear life. 

As she rested the side of her face against Squall's shoulder blade, she prayed that he couldn't sense the tears that slid from her eyes. She had wanted to tell him so much that night. It was almost torture to not speak her heart and soul just as he had…but her true feelings would only sadden the both of them more so then now. And 'now' was too late. All she could do was cherish what was left and what they could remember together. 

_I love you, Squall…you'll know everything soon enough…_

She couldn't utter a word as she cried silently against his back. The sun was rising. 

It was finally time. 

* * *

**Authors note: **Gah.. lol okay I can't reveal anything but this is another VERY important chapter to come back to after you read the ending. Anyway, this was another "relationship-development" part obviously.. kinda boring i know lol I had actually intended to have them cross over the Gates of Time in this chapter but it just kept going :) Okay but enough of that! The next chapters are all blood, violence and evilness in general lol Ultimecia's castle is next... (Thanks for the reviews! You're all swell :D) 


	14. Chapter 19: Time Compression

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa

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Chapter 19: **Time Compression**  
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As Rinoa stood knee-deep in the crystalline lake, she could feel the barrier between time and its borders against her fingertips. It was swirling around her in a magnificent rush of pressure and energy. She could not see such divine manifestations; she could only feel it. Somewhere beyond where she stood, time knew no boundaries. Its light touched the past, the present, and future to any extent.

This was it and this was not going to be easy. The Gates of Time were not simple deliverers.

While she stood calmly in the middle of a seemingly uneventful lake, the others stood back on the dry earth with their weapons ready.

As Rinoa raised her hand against what seemed to be an invisible wall, she stood hesitantly and turned around to face the others.

"Once I open the gates, time compression will start. Past, present and future will all get mixed together. We'll keep moving through the time compression toward the future. Once we're out, it will be Ultimecia's world. It's all up to us after that."

She took in a deep breath as if she were briefing herself. "Ultimecia lives far in the future where none of us can technically exist. There's only one way to make yourself exist in a world like that," she continued. "As friends, don't forget one another. As friends, **believe** in one another. Believe in another's existence and they'll also believe in yours. You can't do these things alone. You need somebody. Right, guys?"

Rinoa paused to rub her neck nervously. She was trying desperately to withhold a cheerful disposition. "I guess…imagine being in a certain place with all your friends. Somewhere that reminds you of them. Once time compression begins, think of that place and try to get there! That's all! That place will welcome you. You'll be able to get there no matter what period you're in," She giggled and smiled at them teasingly. "You need love and friendship for this mission! And the courage to believe it… The same goes for going back."

She shifted her glance away as her expression became slightly saddened.

"Rinoa…" Quistis said softly. "We know how hard this must be for you. You don't have to push yourself like this."

Approaching them slowly, she nodded and brushed a hand quickly under her eyes to make sure no 'weakness' had escaped. "Thank you…" Rinoa told them quietly. "Everyone, thank you for everything… Don't get lost in there, okay? I'll never forgive myself if any of you don't come back."

"Heyyy, everything's gonna be okay!" Irvine assured.

"Yeah, don't cry, Rinoa!" Zell said as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "We're all gonna look out for each other in there… you too!"

"C'mon, group hug!" Selphie exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Rinoa's neck. Zell, Irvine and Quistis quickly joined in. Only Squall, who stood off to the side solemnly, refused to budge. Group hugs were definitely not his 'thing'.

When Rinoa finally noticed Squall as he stared off blankly into space, she smiled her gratitude to the others and gently pulled away. Walking up to Squall silently, she threw her arms around his neck and embraced him tightly while he looked down at her in surprise. The others could only smile at the dumbfounded reaction but quickly turned away after a quick scowl from the Commander.

Finally, his features softened as he felt himself giving in. He wrapped an arm around her back, and rested a hand against Rinoa's hair with the other. She was holding onto him so tightly. It didn't hurt him of course, but he feared the harder she held him, the harder it would be for _him_ to let go.

"Thank you, Squall…" she whispered softly. "I'm so glad I met you."

He didn't respond, or rather, didn't know what to say as Rinoa finally pulled away and proceeded back into the water. Again, she pressed her hand against the invisible wall and closed her eyes.

"By the way," she added numbly. "You have to leave behind anyone who dies. Only living matter can enter the Gates."

They gasped in surprise when small streams of blood suddenly began to surge from her hand. From where she held it firmly against the gates, the crimson liquid trickled down her arm and off her elbow into the lake.

"Rinoa…!" Squall managed to utter.

"I am being tested," she explained firmly, maintaining her concentration.

"Oh god…" Quistis whispered in disbelief.

Slowly, the blood began to dissipate across the invisible wall. Rinoa's breathing turned course and rapid as she struggled to withstand the pain of what felt to be several daggers plunging into her hand. Squall had to restrain himself on not pulling her away as evidence of her suffering could be seen clearly upon her features.

The Gates of Time were now visible as the blood was now holding their shape. The crimson doors began to glow bright red as a white light could be seen shining between the cracks. Rinoa's eyes shot open as she tore her hand away from the wall. The blood from her hand splattered across the water's surface from the rapid movement of her arm. It drenched parts of her light blue clothing but she didn't seem to notice. Turning weakly to the others, she glanced briefly at her hand and then up at Squall.

"It's done…" she managed to gasp before falling to her knees.

"Rinoa!" Squall ran to her quickly and kneeled by her side in the scarlet waters. "Hold still, give me your hand! What the hell just happened!?"

Quistis quickly joined him and helped inspect Rinoa's hand. "Why didn't you tell us this would happen!? You could die from blood loss!"

"I…didn't… want anyone to worry…"

"Well, we are anyway!" Selphie protested.

Rinoa smiled faintly and stared down at her hand. The water had washed away the blood and there were no indications of trauma on her palm. Everything appeared normal. "I'm okay… just felt a little dizzy there."

Frowning, Squall shook his head disapprovingly. "Warn us beforehand. God, you took years off my life." Rinoa smiled at his method of expressing concern. "Sorry," she giggled as she squeezed his hand.

"Do you feel like you're gonna pass out? Maybe you should rest…" Zell suggested.

She shook her head quickly. "I'm not tired. I feel fine actually…"

Squall watched her suspiciously. _You better not be lying…_

"The gates are ready… it's time to go." Rinoa stated as she got up to her feet. "Are you guys ready?"

Knowing they couldn't convince her to rest, they got up and joined her side.

"We're behind you all the way, Rinoa!" Irvine encouraged. "'Love, friendship, and courage' right? Now go show 'em what you got!"

Rinoa smiled and nodded. She took in a deep breath and stepped forward, placing both hands upon the doors. With all the strength she had mentally and physically, she pushed open the Gates of Time.

In a burst of thick, pressuring light, they were engulfed in white emptiness. As they struggled to see, it appeared that their surroundings were as if they walked through an empty doorframe; they were still in the lake, yet… something was different. The ground, the water, the sky…everything appeared to be melting into the next. Everything was waving. Drifting away and back again.

When Squall tried to maintain a balance with his footing, he was surprised to see that he wasn't standing on anything at all. It was all slipping away as if he were floating from it. He glanced around him to see the others with the same perplexed expressions.

As if being stretched to the limit, the scenery of the island broke apart and they could feel themselves being immediately sucked into the void.

It looked as if they had fallen from the sky for their new surroundings were that of an ocean sunset from an upside down perspective. The sky was calming as the majestic blending of orange, yellow and pink gathered about the descending sun. Below them, a rush of birds cascaded against the ocean's surface. Some flew gracefully around them, completely unaware of their presence.

Rinoa reached out infront of her, amazed that her hand passed right through one of the birds. "It's like… I'm disappearing…" she said sadly.

Squall glanced at her sharply and shook his head. "Just stay by my side. I won't let you disappear."

They all crashed through the waters into what appeared to be another dimension. The lights flashing past them seemed fraught with random images. Some they could recignize as recent events, some completely foreign. Everything was meshing together in a chaotic film projection.

"Yo! Where are we suppose to go?" Zell asked.

"Concentrate on where Ultimecia would be!" Squall ordered.

The images flashed by rapidly as the lights grew brighter. They were crossing dimension after dimension, time range after time range. Crossing over years in which they couldn't possibly have existed. After a while, it felt as if their souls were being stretched out of their very being. The rush was incredible.

Suddenly, everything went white. The air was the first thing detected before the glare began to fade. It felt cold and dense as if it were in the middle of the night.

Squall felt groggy as he slowly got up to his feet, surprised that he had suddenly found himself in a sitting position. It seems he had blacked out briefly along with everyone else except Rinoa. Looking around, he saw that they were all on the shoreline of the Island Closest to Hell… but judging from the blackened sky, the thick smog, and the grotesque amount of dead vegetation, they were definitely not in the same era of time.

"Talk about jetlag…" Zell mumbled as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Irvine laughed. "Can you believe I didn't lose my hat in there?"

"Yes…that would've been unfortunate…" Selphie sighed.

Quistis, after getting up to her feet, stretched her arms over her head and looked over at Squall. "Are you alright?" she asked him.

"Fine." Squall answered quickly as he looked around. "Where's Rinoa?"

"I'm here," called the familiar voice.

Rinoa sat hugging her knees by the shoreline several feet away. She had been waiting patiently for them to regain consiousness, using the time to also concentrate energy. Her angelic, glistening wings, though folded against her back, were now visible.

"Hey!" Selphie said when she noticed Rinoa's troubled expression. "What's wrong?"

The dark-haired girl took a deep breath and pointed a finger casually to the sky. "That."

They all looked up in unison. The sight above them was terrifying. Ultimecia's castle loomed just overhead, half hidden in the dark storm clouds. Several massively thick chains linked the castle to the ground along the coast…they seemed to go on for miles, giving a chilling indication of the castle's size.

"Whoa!" Zell exclaimed. "So this is her castle?"

"I've never seen anything so creepy," Irvine admitted. "You think what's-her-face really lives here?"

Rinoa stood up. "We've come this far. She's gotta be here."

"So this is the future…" Quistis said in awe. "This is where Ultimecia reigns…"

"And it's not pretty!" Selphie called from a distance. "You guys better come check this out!"

Selphie stood off at the top of a small hill pointing regretfully behind her. They rushed up quickly to join her and were met with a nauseating view of hundreds of dead soldiers. All in uniform… all staring up into nothingness.

"Future SeeDs…" Squall muttered. "We're fighting across generations."

Rinoa approached the horrifying sight and glared back at the darkened castle. Her wings ruffled gently in the breeze as she knelt by one of the bodies. Carefully, she closed his blood-scratched eyes with her fingers. "Ultimecia's reign…" she whispered bitterly. "We have to end it now."

* * *

**Authors note: **Hmm.. this chapter was kinda short in my opinion. Anyway, the whole time compression thing was actually really hard to describe. I opened up my ff8 disc and watched the movie a couple times so everything I mentioned did sorta happen (not in that particular order though) Also, when Rinoa's discussing how time compression works, those are actually Laguna's lines from the original ff8 story :) Yep.. 'love, friendship and courage'!! I was **NOT** being cheesy on my own! lol The Gates of Time were my original idea so I came up with the painfully nasty way of opening them...last couple chapters were all 'romancy' so I wanted to write some gore in here P The next chapter might be a couple days late.. I have house guests to entertain so no time to write. Laterzz and thanks again for the reviews!! 


	15. Chapter 20: Watching Her

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa 

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Chapter 20: **Watching Her**  
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Looking down hesitantly, Squall frowned when he accidentally stepped on yet another corpse. The closer they ventured toward the front doors of Ultimecia's castle, the more it had become unavoidable. It was nerve-racking to think that most soldiers had met their fate on merely the front steps of the castle. Had the witch struck them all down with a single blow? 

In silence they walked. Rinoa lead the way with her white wings being the only object of purity in sight. They had almost reached the top; each step upon the stone-pillared staircase mocked the silence in which they voluntarily held amongst each other. The wind blew vigorously, carrying with it the bitter stench of decay as it tumbled against their hair and clothes. 

Rinoa paused infront of the two massive doors and placed a hand upon her neck. She frowned in confusion as she traced her fingers nervously against her collarbone. 

"Is everything alright?" Quistis asked. 

"It's nothing…" she murmured. "I think I lost my necklace…" 

* * *

**9 YEARS EARLIER **

* * *

"Squall! Are you listening to me!?"

Glaring at the whining girl through his copper bangs, Squall reluctantly broke from his thoughts and acknowledged her. "Yeah, I'm listening! What do ya want!?" 

"I said I think I lost my necklace!" 

"So?" 

"You have to help me look for it!" 

"Says who?" 

The small girl brushed a hand quickly over her eyes and then through her long black hair to mask the fact that she was starting to cry over the lost possession. She sniffed and placed her hands angrily upon her hips. "Fine. I'll do it myself, Meany." 

Squall shrugged and watched as Rin stomped off in a huff. He had been sitting at the top of the cliff watching the ocean when she had came nosing about his business. He usually hated company and most of the time Rinoa, or 'Rin' as she preferred to be called, was no exception. But sometimes, however, he didn't mind it so much. It was a first. Maybe it was because she was always so cheerful and compassionate, but then again, maybe it was because he just got tired of telling her to go away every five minutes. He couldn't help but be used to her company by now. 

He continued to watch as she peered over the edge of the cliff and began to clumsily gain a better visual by standing on one of the boulders. 

"What are you doing?" he called as he got up quickly to his feet and walked over. 

"I see it!" she exclaimed excitedly. "It fell off from when I was here before!" 

"Whatever, get down. I'll get it for you." 

Rin glanced back at him clearly insulted. "You think I can't cause I'm a girl?" 

Squall smirked. "Girls could. You can't." 

She stuck her tongue out at him defiantly and climbed closer to the edge. "I'll show you… jerkface." 

The smirk faded from his lips as the seriousness of Rin's situation began to sink in. "Get down or I'll tell Matron you were up there!" he threatened. 

"Make me!" she shouted as she got up quickly to her feet and stood dangerously close to the edge of the highest boulder. 

Squall glared at her angrily. "You're being stupid!" 

Her mouth dropped open as her brown eyes narrowed down into his. "MEANY!" she spat angrily. She stepped back slightly to evenly space her footing when the smooth heel of her black shoe slid against the moss. Panic-stricken, she cried out in surprise and flailed her arms desperately for balance. 

Squall reacted instantly as he sprinted forward as fast as he could. What a moron he was. Why hadn't he pulled her back sooner? His scolding, along with the sudden burst of adrenaline, pushed him into moving faster. But as he managed to reach the ascending boulders, it was already too late. Rin's shrill scream echoed loudly in his ears as she fell backwards off the stony cliff. 

He moved faster. 

There was no giving up, not yet. 

Faster, over the abrasive rocks, carelessly scraping his skin on the way up. 

_No… _

Falling to his knees at the top, he peered over the edge. The waters rushed violently against the merciless jagged rocks below. It was so far down. 

So far. 

The cold ocean air stung his face as it rushed past him. But the burning in his eyes…was that also from the wind? It seared. It wouldn't stop. Oh, how it seared. Everything was hurting at once as he stared over the edge of that cliff. His sapphire eyes were open wide with shock and dumbfounded confusion. He was afraid to blink. If he blinked, he wouldn't see her. He wouldn't find her. 

The image of her falling played again in his mind. Over and over…her expression was so terrified. Each time he couldn't save her. Each time he was just…there. Running, watching…too late. 

Too far. 

Too far down. 

It hurt to breathe. His chest felt heavy. He clenched his teeth to withstand the pain before he completely lost it. 

He screamed her name out as loud as he could. Out to the ocean, the sky, the heavens…Entwined with the pain he felt, his voice instantly grew hoarse toward the end of his devastated plea. Exhausted from grief, he lowered his head and clutched the boulder beneath him. Blood seeped from his fingers. Squall could only watch it numbly. He had yet to shed any tears but the burning in his eyes grew relentless. The tears were so close… 

"Squall?" 

His head jerked up instantly. It was Rin's voice. She was crying softly…somewhere. 

"Squall, I'm scared. I wanna go home…" 

"Rin…?" he managed to choke. 

Edging forward, he looked further over the edge of the cliff and spotted her. Rin lay several feet below him on a ledge. A single trail of blood seeped from the top of her head and down the side of her face, mixing with the tears that soaked her terrified features. 

Squall was instantly drenched in relief as he swallowed back his despair. He regained his composure quickly and began climbing down over the rocks. 

"You okay?" he asked when he reached the ledge. 

She shook her head and tried in vain to wipe the tears from her face. "My head hurts…and my ankle sorta…" 

"It's okay, Rin. C'mon, I'll take you back…" He kneeled down with his back to her. "Get on." 

She smiled gratefully through her tears and climbed onto his back, her small arms wrapping a little too tightly around his neck. "H-Hey…!" he yelped in surprise. "You're chokin' me!" 

She quickly loosened her grip. "Sorry," she giggled as she buried her face against the base of his neck. 

Using one arm to support her leg at his waist, he began climbing back up the boulders using the other. 

"Squall?" Rin asked quietly. 

"Yeah?" 

"Are ya still gonna tell Matwyn what I did?" 

"I will if ya let go." 

"I'm hangin' on tight!" 

"Then I won't say anything. Tell Matron you tripped." 

"Oh, okay…" she clutched onto Squall harder. It was more of an appreciative hug than a grip. "Thanks, Squall…" 

He chose not to speak, but smiled despite himself. 

When they reached the top, Squall left her to rest on the grass and began climbing back over the boulders to return to the edge. 

"Squall!" she called in confusion. "Where ya goin'?" 

He climbed down a short ways and grabbed what he was looking for. 

Rin's lost necklace. 

* * *

"Oh, I found it!" Rinoa said quickly as she pulled the silver chain out from her shirt. "I've had it for as long as I can remember… Sentimental luck really… I know it's silly."

"Not at all," Zell shrugged. "We all got our own lucky charms. Even Squall with that funky ring of his." 

They turned to Squall expecting some sort of response, but he didn't even seem to be paying attention. While he was seemingly lost in thought, his piercing eyes remained fixated on Rinoa's necklace. 

"Squall…?" Selphie asked while waving a hand infront of his face. "What is it?" 

Her gesture snapped him quickly back to reality. "It's nothing." 

"You sure?" 

"Yeah, my head just…fucked over for a couple seconds…" 

"I know what you mean," Zell sighed. "I'm still feelin' a bit off from that time spin." 

Rinoa watched them silently with growing concern. Irvine quickly noticed and laughed in assurance. "Hey, we're fine! Those two are just a couple of bitches." 

Zell snorted shortly and crossed his arms. 

Breathing a sigh of relief, the young sorceress turned back to the castle doors, a look of determination engraved upon her features. 

"What are we to expect?" asked Quistis. 

"Ultimecia's on the other side of these doors…" Rinoa concluded. "She knows we're here. She's waiting..." 

Squall narrowed his eyes as the breeze toyed with his bangs. "Are you sure?" 

"I can feel her…and if she's a sorceress then I know she can feel me." 

"This is it then." 

"Looks like it..." 

Selphie cleared her throat loudly. "YOU KNOW…" she practically shouted. "We should probably scout out the best possible escape route before we barge in there." 

Quistis quickly caught on. "Right, right…I'll take a look at the windows and terraces on this side." She grabbed Zell's forearm and dragged him along. "Let's go, Zell." His confused 'What…? Why?' was heard yelping in the distance. 

Selphie did the same as she grabbed Irvine and forced him to follow. "You guys keep cool up front. Me and Irvy will check out the other side." 

Blankly, Squall and Rinoa stared after them in confusion. 

"That was subtle." Squall commented sarcastically. Rinoa smiled at their horrible efforts and looked up at him. "Well, it's nice they're letting us catch up." 

He sighed angrily before gazing down at her. "So…" he began half-heartedly. "What's new?" 

"Things have been crazy." 

"Never would've imagined." 

Rinoa grinned as she stared off distantly with a thoughtful expression. "I met this jerk at a café." 

"What are you-?" With a smirk, he folded his arms. "Okay... I was used by a goddamn sorceress." 

"I fell into a coma." 

"Saved a drowning girl." 

"Married a general." 

"Stole an airship." 

Rinoa paused. "…Saved the world?" 

Squall shrugged in defeat. "Got me there." 

They chuckled uneasily together. 

Squall sighed, inviting a more serious tone into the atmosphere. "I still wish there was something I could do…" 

She shook her head quickly. "You've done more than you know, Squall…You gave me hope, inspiration…you treated me like I was real…You've done more for me than anyone else." 

He stared into her eyes silently. A perfect time to be at a loss of words. She had told him something so deep and meaningful…and all he could do was let the cotton suck the life from his mouth. _God, tell her something, you idiot!_

She giggled at his silence and offered to save him. "…But if you really wanted to you could give me that cool ring of yours." 

Squall frowned at her before staring down at his gloved hand. Without giving it a second thought, he pulled the lion-engraved ring from his finger. Rinoa stared at his actions wide-eyed in disbelief. "Squall, I was kidding! That ring's important to you!" 

He handed the silver object to her. "You keep it." 

She eyed it regretfully. "Squall-" 

"Either take the damn thing or I'll take it back." 

Smiling in defeat, she took the ring from his hand. "You sure?" 

"Yeah, I'm sure." 

She placed the silver ring in her pocket. They both knew it wouldn't fit, but she would hold onto it for dear life. The same as she would for any other cherished object. 

"Thank you, Squall." 

She reached up and kissed him softly on the cheek. Their faces lingered close for several seconds before he closed the gap and kissed her on the lips. It was a deep, demanding embrace from Squall as he placed his arms around her waist. In the midst of it all, he finally felt the forbidden texture of Rinoa's wings. The silky white feathers slid through his fingers as he pressed Rinoa against him. Not a sorceress. She was an angel in his eyes. 

Rinoa's arms were up against Squall's chest as he pressed her closer. She touched his neck gently with her hands and kissed him back with her whole being. She was letting it happen and she didn't care. For once, she'd be the one who didn't care. Love was not for her… but to just taste it once in a while… 

He pulled away from her slightly, their faces only inches apart. Footsteps could be heard as the others were starting to make their way back. 

"What now?" he whispered roughly. 

"I don't know…" she whispered back. 

"Tell me something you do know." 

Rinoa's expression changed as she stared into his eyes darkly. Her brown eyes narrowed in all seriousness as she took a deep breath. 

"When it's all over…… you'll find me." 

Uncertain as to what she meant, Squall frowned at her in confusion. "What do you mean…?" 

She backed away from him as Zell and Quistis came into view. Irvine and Selphie were also heard not far behind. Rinoa's expression didn't change as she whispered to him one last time before she nodded to the others and proceeded in opening the castle doors. 

"I promise." 

* * *

**Authors note:** Concerning the flashback, I've always imagined Squall to be mature at a very young age. That's why I had him pronounce 'Matron' as 'Matron' rather then _Matwyn_ which was the case for Rinoa. The scene was derived from a Card Captor Sakura episode that I was watching earlier (so not completely original P) episode 57 where Sakura falls down an elevator shaft and Li is overwhelmed from not saving her in time. It's one of my favorite scenes so I wanted to rewrite it as my own. It's very poetically structured cause I think flashbacks should have their own atmosphere. There was also some last minute Squall/Rinoa development before the big battle (couldn't resist!) Just to let you know, everything I'm writing about now is made to clerify things for the ending (hope it's not boring..) Anyway sorry for the late chapter. The next chapter may be a bit late too cause I'm going to New York for five days ) cya! 


	16. Chapter 21: Ultimecia

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

  
  
**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa

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Chapter 21: **Ultimecia**  
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The stone doors opened slowly, scraping the rusted metal hinges loudly into the dense air. A platinum light surged through the widening cracks and engulfed the six heroic fighters. 

It was now or never. 

Standing side by side, they waited for their eyes to focus to the slowly dimming light. They knew she waited for them. 

Sorceress Ultimecia. 

The bringer of death. The angel of darkness. 

She welcomed their challenge. 

They could see her now in all her murderous glory as she sat proudly upon her throne. She was, in fact, clad as a typical sorceress corrupted by evil. Her eyes were violet, flashing serpent shades of gold and green while her wings, ruffling like the dead leaves on a moonlit tree, were black and vulture-like. The intense purple veins on her face staggered down her cheeks as she scowled down at her enemies. 

"So it's true…" she hissed. "Sorceress Rinoa… a produkt of Guardian Forces and earth energy. The puppet to humans… here to stop me?" 

"That's about it." Rinoa stated simply. Fear was no longer an option as she stared up at her nemesis. If she was scared, she hid it well. 

"Interesting. Why do you chose to save them?" 

"It's the right thing to do." 

"You will fight your own kind to do what's right?" 

She shook her head. "We're not the same Ultimecia. This has to end." 

The witch smirked and looked toward the others. "…SeeD…" she realized quickly. "SeeD, SeeD, SeeD. Kurse all SeeDs. Swarming like lokust akross generations. You disgust me." 

Squall clutched the handle of his weapon tightly as he glared up at her. _Blood-thirsty bitch…_

"Your world is on the brink of extinction and you have your kind working against you. The Galbadians…" She threw her head back to laugh. "Insolent fools!" 

"You wouldn't have spared them," Squall spat angrily. "You don't even need them." 

"'It is better to be at the right hand of the devil…then to be in her path.'" Ultimecia whispered venomously. "But you'll never know, young SeeD. Your vain krusade ends here. The price for your meddling is death beyond death." 

She stared darkly into Rinoa's eyes. "I WILL reign, little girl. You will be my slaves for eternity." Raising an arm over her head, Ultimecia manifested a swirling mass of dark energy in her hand and sent it hurling towards them. 

In an instant, Rinoa's wings fanned out to shield her friends. Extending her own arms out infront of her, she protected herself from the powerful magic just the same. Impressed, Ultimecia paused and watched the young sorceress with amusement. 

Rinoa stepped forward slowly, letting her wings fold back against her. Tiny black sparks, left over from Ultimecia's attack, lingered and danced upon Rinoa's body, but she didn't seem to notice. 

She was Sorceress Rinoa now. 

There was no need to hold back her strength. 

"Rinoa…" Squall trailed off. 

She turned her head to glance back at the others. Her warm chestnut eyes were now a hauntingly vacant shade of gold. 

"Yikes…" Selphie mumbled at the somewhat disturbing sight. "Rinoa…?" 

"There's no holding back," she told her friends. "I am unleashing myself." 

"What can we do?" asked Irvine. 

She stared at them hesitantly before responding. "Leave." 

Squall nearly exploded. "What!?" 

"You've taken me as far as I need to go. You can return to time compression." 

"Don't fucking kid around, Rinoa. I'm not leaving you!" 

"Squall…please…" 

"You can't-!" He stopped when he remembered Shiva's last words. "You can't… save the world alone." 

Rinoa could only stare at him in surprise before another ball of energy was hurled in their direction. Again, she used her wings to span out and block the attack. 

"There's only so much you kan take!" taunted Ultimecia. "You're too weak to sustain such energy. You kan't block my magic forever!" 

"If only you knew…" Rinoa whispered quietly. 

Ultimecia didn't seem to hear her as she smirked past her to the others. "Bored? Let's see how long she kan protekt you worthless parasites!" 

Crossing her arms infront of her chest, she began to levitate. Small glowing orbs surrounded her as she chanted a summoning spell. "The most powerful Guardian Force…" 

"Whoa, wait a second!" Zell protested. 

"Griever…" she called. "MAKE THEM BLEED!" 

"'Griever'!?" As the ground began to shake, Zell ran quickly to Squall's side. "I thought the GF Griever didn't exist!" 

"Yeah, like I'd engrave fairytale pictures on my gunblade." 

The ground shook harder as Squall stepped forward and placed a hand on Rinoa's shoulder. "We'll handle this," he told her sternly. "You-" 

They stared into each other nonchalantly. 

"…Just kick her ass." 

Rinoa could only smile before the floor beneath Ultimecia's throne smashed apart, giving entry to a large lion-like beast that forced its way through the opening. It stood erect with its black, razor-sharp claws and fiery red horns piercing from the top of its head. It was indeed, the legendary Guardian Force known as Griever. 

"GO!" Squall ordered. 

Spreading her wings, Rinoa flew up towards Ultimecia, trusting Squall and the others to handle the beastly lion on their own. She summoned a mass of energy in her hand and sent it exploding into Ultimecia. The witch was seemingly caught off guard by Rinoa's strength at full potential. Though taken by surprise, Ultimecia retaliated quickly with a somewhat similar attack. 

Meanwhile, Squall and the others couldn't watch Rinoa's battle for long. Griever was already showering its attacks upon them. Dodging most of the onslaught, Squall maneuvered his way toward the GF and slashed his gunblade across the monster's chest. It howled in agony and swung its arm at the commander, sending Squall smashing into the closest pillar. 

Quistis, who had her whip wrapped tightly around Griever's neck, called out to him. "Squall, are you all right!?" 

He pulled himself up from the debris and clenched his teeth. The injuries weren't serious, but it would surely slow him down. He looked up suddenly when he felt several warm drops of blood fall against his face. 

Rinoa's blood. 

Above him, Ultimecia had ejected her nails to at least a foot long and had stabbed them deep into Rinoa's shoulder. Blood cascaded down her arm and splattered to the floor at his feet. Pain shown through her eyes as she cried out in anguish, using one hand to pull the nails out, and the other to push Ultimecia back by her throat. 

"Rinoa-!" 

"Squall, look out!" Irvine yelled at him suddenly. 

Regaining composure of his surroundings, he ducked just in time as Griever's spiked tail slashed past him. 

"Can't worry about her now!" Zell shouted to him. "We gotta kill this fucker first!" 

_Damnit!_ He glanced up at Rinoa one last time before grabbing the handle of his gunblade. 

* * *

Finally pulling Ultimecia's nails from her shoulder, Rinoa quickly manifested a ball of energy and sent it blasting into the witch to push her away. Given their temporary distance, Rinoa was given precious seconds to inspect her wounds. With the deep impressions and the severe amount of blood loss, the injury would've been fatal for an ordinary human being.

Breathing heavily, she cured herself as best as she could before taking another blow from Ultimecia. Over and over her powers were used, but she ignored all signs of fatigue. She had to constantly convince and remind herself that she wasn't tired. Not yet. 

_Not yet…_

Holding her arms out infront of her, Rinoa conjured a swirling sphere of holy magic and raised it high above her head. The amount of energy that pulsed from her body was overwhelmingly powerful. As the mass grew thicker, her hands began to shake from the sheer stress of it all. 

_Come on…You can do this. You HAVE to do this._

The energy raged on. Sweat poured from her brow as her veins pulsed maddeningly from being caged beneath her skin. 

Ultimecia raised her arms over her head and quickly summoned a similar attack with her own black magic. She smiled. This would be the showdown of elements. 

_This is it… _Rinoa thought numbly. _You can't change fate._

Preparing to unleash her attack, Ultimecia's eyes burned bright purple, indicating she had put her full strength into this black sphere. 

Rinoa's eyes remained yellow as she stared calmly at her enemy. 

_Besides…_

As she charged the energy at Ultimecia, the gold in Rinoa's eyes unexpectantly turned bright purple, catching the witch off guard. 

"How-?" was the last thing Ultimecia uttered before their masses of energy collided. 

_…you already know how it all ends._

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* * *

**Authors note:** ooOOoo confusing, huh? But here's a little hint: Sorceress Rinoa's eyes gold. Sorceress Ultimecia's eyes purple. Purple eyes are the sorceress' trademark of evil…. HMMM? ) Don't worry. The next couple chapters will do what they can. Well anyway, I'm back from New York! And I wish I could say that I'll have chapters up faster now but that's a tough promise P Don't get me wrong… **I WILL finish this story** even if it kills me. Not about to hang this story up when the best parts are right around the corner. The problem is finding the time to write… I start college in a couple days AND I have a job (barista!) So I write what I can before I go to bed on some nights. So in the future I'm **really sorry** about the waits.. there will be more :( and I appreciate all reviews and inputs :D (**lady rinoa**, I'll try put up chapter titles in the next update for ya **edit** done!) 


	17. Chapter 22: If Only

**Savior  
**By Leanne Ashley

**Quick summary:** (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa

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Chapter 22: **If Only  
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For a brief couple seconds, Squall feared the intense light had blinded him. It was sharp, scalding. The burning, brilliant light swallowed him whole as a sudden force pushed him backwards to the ground.

Prying his eyes open, he struggled to see through the opaque intensity. What the hell had just happened? The question presented clarity to his mind, inviting the numbing ring in his ears he hadn't realized was there.

Where was everyone?

What happened to Griever?

Squall grasped the sides of his head. The ringing was too loud.

_What… happened…?_

Getting up slowly to his feet, he reached out blindly infront of him. He could barely make out the darkened shades of his gloves—it was so bright. The ringing continued, but was soon replaced by a shrill maddening scream.

Was that Ultimecia?

The ground shuddered under his boots. He stumbled forward and regained his balance to the best of his ability (Somehow. It was rather difficult when he couldn't even see the ground he walked on) Hesitant footsteps were heard moving close much to his relief. Gesturing an arm forward to catch their attention, he struggled to see through the slowly dimming brightness.

"Hey!"

"Squall?"

It was Quistis.

"Quistis, what's happening?"

"I'm…not sure."

"Can you see Griever anywhere?"

"It's gone."

"What?"

The light continued to dim as he could now make out the faint blur of orange that was her outfit.

"Gone! I had my whip around its neck, and then this white light… It felt like Griever just turned to air!"

"There's nothing here," came Zell's voice from the mist. "But this place feels like it's gonna collapse!" The ground seemed to shift in response as they stumbled forward from the sudden imbalance.

"Whoa…!" Selphie exclaimed from behind them. "I had this gash on my leg… but it's gone!"

Straining his eyes, Squall could see both Selphie and Irvine approaching them slowly.

"This is holy magic!" announced Irvine. "The strongest kind too."

"Anyone see Rinoa?" Quistis asked.

_Rinoa… You better be okay…_Squall's heart began to race, enthralled under the clutch of panic. He had turned his attention away for two seconds… two goddamn seconds… and all hell broke loose. …Or something close to it anyway. It didn't matter to him now if Ultimecia had won or Rinoa had won; he just wanted to find her. Wherever she was he had to be there. He had to shield and protect her with his life. After all, such an act had been instinct since childhood and he would be damned to not find her now.

The ground shook heavily again. The highest pillars of the castle began to crumble, bringing down several of the higher rooms along with it.

_This place is gonna go…_

It was then that he spotted her. In the midst of scanning the burning white haze, he spotted the tattered remains of Rinoa's wings; an extension of her frail, unmoving form as she lay half curled up against her side. Blood caked her arms, her shoulders… Her face wasn't visible, as her black hair had matted against it.

Instinctively, he began making his way toward her when a large piece of debris mocked his lack of precaution by landing rudely at his feet. He fell back in surprise and glanced quickly around him once again. Ultimecia's castle had began disintegrating at a much faster rate just as the white light had started to thin. It was almost futile now. Rinoa lay on the other side of the room while he resided on the other. In between them, the rocks, bricks, and stones from the above collapsing towers showered the floor. Against those two particular walls, they were both pretty much safe from most of the falling wreckage… for now.

Squall turned his head to the others. "You guys get out! I'll get Rinoa and catch up!"

"But Squall—!" Zell protested.

"I said get out! This whole place is falling apart!"

"We'll…we'll wait for you outside, then!" Quistis yelled over the noise.

"No! Everything's going to hell and those Gates aren't open 24 hours a day. You guys go back… I have to—" He glanced back at Rinoa's motionless body. "—I have to save her."

"Squall…" Irvine said as he approached him quickly. "Ultimecia's been defeated. Rinoa saved all of us… Don't you realize what just happened?"

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It was the last time I saw Rinoa. I had only known her for a short amount of time but that girl had so much potential in her. I know, I know… What a repetitious thing for an instructor to say, correct? But she had it in her for…life. Real life. I prayed for the Seven Day Sacrifice… I wanted to take her on my student when all this was over…

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Squall glared darkly at the other boy and kept the fixation solid even as he avoided another falling piece of debris. "Quit dancing around it for me, Kinneas. I'm sick of it."

"I'm only trying to—" Irvine glanced pleadingly at the others for support but they were all slightly in a state of shock from what they witnessed across the room.

He shook his head in defeat. "Alright, fine. Squall, if you run across there, it's suicide. The Seven Day Sacrifice was a chance, not a promise!"

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_I could hear 'em fighting with each other, but man was I not getting involved. All I could see was Rinoa… and all I could think about was how that one time she bet I couldn't eat ten hot dogs in a row. In the end I could only eat nine because… she ate the tenth. It was an honor being one of her bodyguards, but seeing her there…I can't even describe it. I can't describe anything I saw that day._

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"Fuck off…" Squall muttered as he tried to move past him. The others, who had found temporary shelter under a half-fallen pillar, could only watch in silence.

"Use your goddamn eyes!" Irvine glanced over at Rinoa and shook his head back quickly, blinking away the guilty tears that seared from having to be the one speaking so ill of her to the man that loved her most.

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_I couldn't say it. For the life of me I didn't know why I always had to be the one telling Squall the bad news. Maybe it was because I was the outsider of the group, I don't know. But one look at that poor girl across the room and I lost hope… I never had much in the first place, but now I knew it was gone._

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"She's dead, Squall…"

He pushed past him and prepared to run to her.

"SHE'S DEAD!"

The word struck him like a jagged spear of ice as his body tensed. His muscles, prepared to pound Irvine hard in the face, suddenly relaxed as he looked up at him and quickly diverted his eyes. "…I have to know for sure."

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_I felt sick. I wanted Rinoa to be okay. She was always so sweet to me… One time she even offered to help me with the Garden Festival! Didn't even have to ask! That's how sweet she was… But all that blood… I couldn't even look at her. I knew Irvine was probably right but I just couldn't face it._

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They remained silent as a ballet of chaos scattered violently around them. Even though she was no where to be found, Ultimecia was dead. Her very soul was crumbling along with the walls of her fortress.

"Lead the others back through the Gates of Time and wait in the Ragnarok where it's safe." Squall continued.

Irvine swallowed hard. "And you?"

"I'll follow."

"How do we get back, Squall…?" Selphie asked timidly.

"Just remember all that stuff Rinoa told us. Know where you want to go and you'll find it." He nodded at Irvine. "Got it?"

The other boy nodded back and gestured at the others to leave quickly. "Just take care of yourself." As he began exiting the main doors, he stopped hesitantly and turned back. "Hey! Squall, Ultimecia's dead… It's…it's over."

Letting the realization sink in, the Commander let a faint, but sad smile creep to his lips.

"Yeah… I know."

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She's gone. Get over it.

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Bracing himself, Squall looked up for any 'path' between the falling debris. There didn't seem to be any, but he was losing patience rather than hope. He was not going to let anything stop him from reaching her. If there were even a fraction of a chance that Rinoa was alive, he'd take it. He would probably die trying, but he'd take it. She wasn't a hassle, a mission, a baby-sitting job, a sorceress, a savior, or …whatever. She was just Rinoa to him now. A girl in his life. She was all he knew and all he cared about in that very moment as he ran across Ultimecia's shattering floor, dodging death to the best of his trained ability.

A jagged piece of stone fell painfully against his shoulder, ripping his jacket as well as the skin beneath. He gritted his teeth and clutched at the wound, his glove feeling slippery against the blood that poured from it. The injury had made him stop. Choosing to ignore the pain, Squall jumped over another fallen pillar and continued to move. He couldn't afford to stop running.

Just as he was approaching Rinoa, he looked up to see another pillar falling directly infront of him. Narrowing his eyes in anticipation, he leaped forward just before the pillar crashed to the floor. Squall hit the ground hard, but rolled to a rather convenient stop just alongside Rinoa's lifeless body.

Groaning from the onslaught of fallen debris, the crash to the floor, and the gnawing against his shoulder, he struggled to sit up. Rinoa was in arm's reach as he held his breath to push the hair from her face. Blood from her other wounds had splattered lightly across her cheeks, but beneath the tainting scarlet, her features were calm and porcelain; the illusion of a weary angel's peaceful slumber. Trying his best to keep a steady hand, Squall touched her shoulder and shook it gently.

"Rinoa…"

There was no answer. He shook her again, harder this time.

"Rinoa…!"

No reaction.

His breathing grew rapid as he continued to shake her shoulder in desperation. "Hey…! Rinoa… Rinoa, come on… Come on! Don't do this to me now!" Her body jerked from the forceful efforts and he quickly caught a faint glimpse of silver sliding across her neck. Her necklace had fallen out from the inside of her shirt.

Squall sat back; defeated. Destroyed. The sound of collapsing stone grew distorted as his senses failed to identify anything else around. Ultimecia, the prophecy, the blood… blood, so much blood… Balamb, Galbadia, SeeD… what was all that again? Why was everything the way it was now? …Blood. Blood again. Blood had painted his path, but then… there was—her again. The Seven Days had failed… this, the way it was now, this was all wrong. This wasn't what they meant.

Closing his eyes, he swallowed hard and let the pace of his heartbeat slow.

"…Let's go, Rinoa. It's not safe here."

* * *

"...Somebody once told me that if you mention bad things, they'll come true. I know it's a silly superstition, but right now I want to believe it. So let's not talk about anything. That's… what you're doing, right…?"

He knew there'd be no answer. Sighing, Squall continued down the pathway with Rinoa on his back, her torn, dirt-scuffed wings practically dragging on the floor behind them. They had just left Ultimecia's nearly dilapidated castle and were reaching the bottom of the large suspending chain that linked the castle to the earth. He didn't know why he was bringing Rinoa with him. Maybe he didn't want her to be alone… maybe HE didn't want to be alone… and maybe… maybe he had just gone mad. Shaking her did nothing. Shouting at her did nothing. Deep down perhaps he felt talking could somehow…

Miracles were such stupid things.

"You asked me about my parents once. I was telling the truth when I said I didn't know what happened to them. But as far as remembering goes… my mother had long hair and she wore the color yellow a lot. My father… he had the most annoying laugh. I didn't like him all that much. Guess that's just as well since it was him who dropped me at the orphanage." He paused to frown thoughtfully. "I never asked you if you remembered your own parents… I'm pretty selfish sometimes, aren't I?"

His boots came to a rest in the cold, gray sand. Before him, a small manifestation of white light swirled soundlessly in midair.

"Looks like the Gates have been waiting… I guess that's how it works. All of us being here caused an imbalance. It wants us out."

The others, just as instructed, had already left and were hopefully back in their own time.

Squall closed his eyes in malignant frustration. _Only living matter can enter the Gates…_Kneeling down slowly, he released Rinoa and lay her down gently on the sand. After removing several strands of hair from her face, he sat down beside her body and stared emotionlessly at the swirling light infront of him.

"You knew all along this was going to happen, didn't you?" He laughed bitterly at his own ignorance. "Why else would you bother telling us that only living things could enter the Gates…" Bringing his knees to his chest, he rested his arms tiredly upon them and breathed heavily. "But if you knew the Seven Day Sacrifice would fail, why were you so hopeful of it in the very beginning?"

He brushed a gloved hand over his face to muffle a much-detested 'sniff' from his nose. Even then, his refusal to show true emotion would not submerge.

"This wasn't suppose to happen, Rinoa. I had hoped… for the first time in a long time I had actually hoped for something. I didn't even hope I'd become a SeeD, I just expected it, so… I guess I thought I'd been given some sort of credibility because I really did think that everything was going to be okay…"

Squall grimaced as he felt his eyes growing hot. "Goddamnit!" He could feel the sting of his own tears; the foreign liquid felt acidic against his face. "You said I'd find you when it was all over so where the hell are you!?"

There was no answer.

Rinoa's necklace sparkled under the moonlight and the orange glow emitting from the castle. A fire had been provoked somewhere within the collapsing fortress and was spreading steadily; helping to vanquish what was left of Ultimecia's terror.

Squall leaned over stiffly and touched the delicate chain around Rinoa's neck. She probably wouldn't have it now if not for him. That necklace was what linked her to his past. He hadn't said a word, of course. There was no way Rinoa would have remembered that somewhere in her 'childhood' she had lost it… and he had given it back to her. It was best not to bring it up… after all; it was 'Rin' who had lost it. Rinoa couldn't possess such memories.

Just then, a soft 'clang' was heard after he had moved the necklace slightly against Rinoa's skin. Startled and confused, Squall pulled gently on the chain once more and the sound was heard again. It was the sound of a metal, or possibly silver, object coming into contact with the chain itself. With the utmost care, he gently pushed Rinoa's hair back to divert the shadow being cast around her neck. Sure enough, he instantly recognized the small object that had been strung on her necklace.

His ring.

Squall had completely forgotten that he had given it to Rinoa just before the final battle. With the knowledge that the ring was a number of sizes too big for her, he had simply assumed she would have placed it in her pocket. But on her necklace… That silver chain was proof of their past and a symbol of remembrance… and she had it with her, claiming sentimental attachment without ever really knowing why. The necklace… his ring… The pain in his chest was unbearable.

Rinoa was meant for him.

He reached down and clutched her body against his own. He had no choice but to let the burning tears fall as he cradled her in his arms. Rinoa was limp… cold… she could offer no comfort to sooth his agony as he wept uncontrollably against her cheek.

As he held her, tiny sparkles of light blue, almost a mimic of fireflies, began floating from Rinoa's body and into the air. Squall looked up startled and watched the tiny orbs leave; mystified by their playful dance into the night. As the sparkles left, her body grew colder in his arms.

"_I was… Sorceress Rinoa first. That's it. I was created, remember? Big ball of floating, formless energy…"_

So that was it then. The energy was returning to its rightful owners: the Gods, Guardian forces, and spirits of the earth. The energy, Sorceress Rinoa, had fulfilled its duty in saving the world from Ultimecia.

As he watched the brilliant blue lights ascend into the sky, he knew the bitter truth once and for all: Rinoa was gone.

She wasn't coming back.

He knew it all too well as he eventually reentered time compression, leaving Rinoa's body to lay peacefully on the shoreline.

* * *

...I'm not alone.

_I'll be all right, but…_

_Where is everyone? _

_Rinoa…I just don't care anymore._

_Which way do I go? I can't make it back... I can't think of where…or when…_

_I can't do anything…_

The sky was so morbidly gray with a mist that would not cease to thicken. He could feel the coldness of the gravel through his boots as he took a single step forward.

There was a whole lot of …nothing.

A seemingly endless backdrop of cold, desolate, desert stone and he was stuck in the center. Squall gazed out into the void and looked around tiredly. There was no where to go but… anywhere. He had gotten lost in time. And why not? Was there really somewhere he needed to be?

Without giving it much consideration, he began to walk. The air felt heavy in his lungs as the atmosphere reflected that of running under water.

He would walk for what seemed like forever before the strangest feeling took over his head…

* * *

"You're the prettiest Chocobo I've ever seen,"

Squall's head jerked up. His vision, not yet adjusting to the onslaught of foreign light, could only make out blotchy spots of green and purple. But that voice…

"Well, you're the only Chocobo I've ever seen… but I'm sure you're the prettiest."

He blinked rapidly and stumbled forward. He had no idea where he was or where he had come from, but he was drawn to that voice… so sweet, so sincere… so familiar.

_Rinoa…?_

Staggering forward, he stepped clumsily over a fallen branch in his path. _I'm in the woods?_ He couldn't stop rubbing his forehead. _This headache… I'm so thirsty… _His senses were groggy and slow to react, but he forced himself to keep moving. That voice… it was Rinoa's. It HAD to be. Is this where he was suppose to find her? _Great… My head is completely fucked._

He reached a clearing and stopped instantly.

Rinoa stood several feet away; petting a large, yellow chocobo as it nuzzled its head against hers. She giggled from its playful display of affection and continued to stroke its soft yellow feathers.

_Rinoa…_ Squall could only stare in shock. There she was. Alive.

The chocobo, sensing Squall's presence, jerked its head up quickly and took off in the opposite direction. Not sure as to why the chocobo had left, Rinoa simply stared off after it with a slight look of disappointment.

Squall, finally summoning the strength and courage to speak, practically choked out her name. "Rinoa!"

She turned in surprise, definitely not expecting him to come approaching her from behind.

Even though he was exhausted, confused, and slightly disoriented, his focus had finally come together long enough for him to examine if she was really there.

Rinoa gave him an odd half-smile and looked away in an almost sheepish manner. "Squall, listen—" She turned back to him but stopped when she finally noticed his distraught features.

"Squall? Is everything alright?"

Before he could open his mouth to speak, his eyes darted quickly into the woods behind her where a bright light seemed to manifest itself out of nowhere.

The light churned with smoke as a transparent figure lurched forward from it. The figure appeared weak and desperate as it clawed its hands into the earth.

Squall's sapphire eyes grew wide in disbelief. "Ultimecia!? …You're alive!?"

Rinoa stared down at the beaten-up sorceress questionably. "…The sorceress?"

_She… doesn't know?_ "Yes… you had defeated her."

He quickly took out his gunblade and approached Ultimecia cautiously. "Rinoa, stand back."

Rinoa shook her head quickly. "It's okay. There's no need to fight. That sorceress is just looking for someone to pass her power on to. In order to die in peace, a sorceress must be free of all her powers."

Ultimecia glared up at her angrily. "I… can't… disappear yet."

Kneeling into the grass, Rinoa sat by Ultimecia's side and took her hand. "I'll take over her powers… I'd hate for any of you to carry the burden of a sorceress."

As the black energy surged into Rinoa's body, Squall could only watch in amazement. _I must be—I'm in the past… _

Ultimecia's form began to dissipate.

_So… this is how… Rinoa had Ultimecia's power the whole time… that's why she was stronger… that's how she won…_

After the energy had passed, Rinoa fell forward and Ultimecia finally disappeared, her body vanishing into misty sparks of purple and white.

Squall ran to Rinoa's side quickly and held her up to lean against him.

"Is this… the end?" she asked weakly.

He frowned grimly. "…Most likely."

She stared up at him knowingly, her brown eyes flashed questionably into his. "You said I _had_ defeated her… Who are you?"

He hesitated. "I'm still Squall. Just not the one that belongs here."

She smiled softly. "You're… Squall from the future?"

"Yeah, I think so…"

Setting her mouth in a firm line, she took in a deep breath and looked up at him with a fierce intensity burning in her eyes. "So what happened?"

"…I don't… know if I should—"

"Just tell me, Squall. It's okay."

He cleared his throat and continued with some reluctance. "You won."

A look of hope flushed her face. "Really?"

"Yeah… You saved the world."

"I'm so glad…" she sighed. "So… the Seven Day Sacrifice…?"

Squall looked away then. His eyes began to burn quickly with the reminder of that horrible realization. For the life of him he couldn't say it. But he didn't have to utter a single word… Rinoa could already tell by his face.

"It didn't work, did it?"

"…No… It failed."

She nodded in complete acceptance. "It's alright… I guess it's better I know now instead of getting my hopes up."

"That's why you acted so differently…" Squall muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

He shook his head. "Nothing…"

She giggled. "Same old Squall…even the future version." Her features turned serious as she attempted to stand but failed. Weak from Ultimecia's magic, she let herself rest in Squall's arms. "But now that I know I won I can't give up… I have Ultimecia's power along with my own, so I mustn't fail… That is my motivation."

She nodded in a reassurance of herself before turning to face him. "You have to return. You don't belong here. The only Squall permitted here is the one—" she smiled sadly. "—who doesn't love me apparently."

_So THIS is where I am…just yesterday. That means she'll be passing out soon… and we all thought it was a Blue Orb that did it…_

"I didn't mean that. But I'll tell you that myself soon enough."

She smirked. "Looking forward to it. Do you know how to get back? If you're here then that means you got lost in time compression."

"I'll be fine… Rinoa."

Squall glanced behind him. Surely enough, the swirling light was waiting patiently for his reentry. He gently lay Rinoa amongst the soft grass and got up to leave. Just as the light began to engulf him, he paused.

"Rinoa…?"

She was barely awake as she tilted her head tiredly to look at him. "Hmm?"

"I love you. I'm sorry I never told you earlier."

And he was gone. Shortly after, Rinoa lost consciousness.

**

* * *

****Authors note:** No way, this story ain't over YET. There's still more stuff to be revealed. Anyway I understand that this chapter took me months to get up but I'm a full-time college student who works in a bubbletea house on the side. The only chance I had to even touch this story was during my winter vacation… so ta da! As you can see, this chapter is LONG and there are about two more to go… actually I was going to merge those all together in this one for one SUPER-LONG chapter but I felt it wouldn't 'flow' right. **Confused by the ending of this chapter?** I don't blame you. I haven't updated for so long you probably forgot what this story was about. **Refer back **to** Chapters 17 and 18** and pay close attention to Rinoa's behavior. You'll see how this all fits together. Go back to **Chapter 16** if you're a little confused on the difference between 'Rin' and Rinoa. You may have also noticed that I added chapter titles to my story (requested by lady-rinoa) and a lot them were statements derived from the actual chapter or a song lyric that reflected it. Anyway, this story is not finished (far from it maybe… it all depends if I decide to throw a sequel to it) and hopefully I can have the concluding chapters up soon (err... hopefully) If there are any questions please feel free to email me. 


	18. Chapter 23: I'm Dreaming Of

**Savior**  
By Leanne Ashley 

**Quick summary**: (AU) SeeD battles Ultimecia & her followers. When a prophecy foretells the coming of a savior (Sorceress Rinoa) SeeD, led by Squall, is ordered to protect her from Galbadia's assassins as she journeys to defeat Ultimecia. Squall/Rinoa

Chapter 23: **I'm Dreaming For…  
**-------------------------------------------

_It's almost over, it's almost over  
No more war and no more soldiers  
To stand against his love _

Away with all the things you've grown to hate  
Away with anything that holds you safe  
Away…

Look ma the sun is shining on me  
Impatient, in love, and aching to be  
Could you believe in heaven  
If heaven was all you had?

**With Every Light**, The Smashing Pumpkins

* * *

As the curse began to lift, so did the shadows blocking the dim, golden sunrise. Ultimecia's castle continued to crumble; its vivid flames adding to the painting of a once desaturated sky. The unsettling gradient of gray to gold commanded the atmosphere; smearing the clouds, the sky, and even the peaceful ocean waters that splashed gently to the shoreline, grazing the hand of a young, motionless heroine.

She flinched slightly.

The cool liquid provoked a gentle shiver to sweep across her body.

Amongst the thick fog of clouded words and memories that dominated her head, her mind finally managed to express one single thought:

_Huh…? _

Her slender hand dug fiercely into the sand, letting the sharp grains push beneath her fingernails. Clawing for resistance, reassurance… an answer.

A cry of anguish escaped her throat when she felt the blood pulsing down her chin.

_That… can't be good…_

Weakly, she pulled herself up only to collapse onto her front as her body shook violently from convulsions. It was painfully difficult getting her limbs to cooperate.

_God…damnit… I can't… breathe…_

The bitter taste of sand and blood resided on her tongue as she continued to claw helplessly at the gravel beneath her.

"M-Ma…t-t…"

_I can't do anything! Why does it …hurt?_

"—R…on…"

_Get up… Get up right now! GET UP!_

"Mat…ron…"

_GET UP! DON'T WASTE WHAT SHE'S GIVEN YOU!_

"Matron…"

"Is your matron the first one who comes to mind?"

Although her body continued to shake, she immediately stopped struggling and held in her ragged breath. The voice was oddly familiar, yet she couldn't picture the speaker anywhere in her mind.

"Don't worry. You will regain more memories shortly. Right now, your mind is more concentrated on adapting to your physical changes."

She forced open her blood-caked eyes and winced from the sudden onslaught of vibrant colours. Something somewhere was on fire and the lights reflecting on the sea came close to blinding her.

"Matron…?" she managed to choke.

"No, my darling. I'm not your matron. You're thinking of the women who took care of you when you were growing up in that orphanage."

She cried out in pain once more. Her muscles felt tight and restricted, as if stuck in atrophy.

"Do not force yourself," the voice ordered sternly. "It's all in your head. Your mind has not adjusted to your physical state. You are no longer a child, Rin."

"Wha—What…?"

"You are no longer a child," the voice repeated. "It will all come back to you soon. Sorceress Rinoa has possessed you for almost nine years—since you were eight. You grew up alongside her and saw the world through her eyes… or perhaps it was the other way around depending on how you view it…"

"St…"

"Although it is true Sorceress Rinoa was primarily in control, you were still able to grow and mature with her."

"Stop…"

"But the mission is complete. Sorceress Ultimecia has been defeated and the world is safe. Sorceress Rinoa no longer has a purpose, and thus you are free to control your life—"

"STOP IT!"

The voice silenced as Rin slammed her fist angrily to the ground. With all the strength she could muster, she hoisted herself from the sand to face her 'visitor'.

"Unless—" she choked out hoarsely. "Rinoa's memories are screwing me up …I'm guessing you're Shiva."

The Goddess of Ice regarded Rin tediously and raised an eyebrow. "Correct. I see your mind is catching up with you."

"Forget that." she spat angrily, partly from disgust and partly from the build-up of blood and sand in her mouth. "Ever since I took the backseat to Rinoa I wanted to know this: why me? Why was it me?"

Sighing, Shiva deterred her stare. "In all honesty… you were an orphan. And as luck would have it, I saw you first."

Unstable, yet determined, Rin got up slowly to her feet while her knees threatened to buckle. "…That's it…?"

Shiva smiled and approached the exhausted girl.

"Growing up as beautiful as you are… That was the one thing we didn't have a hand in. You did that on your own."

Rin shook her head fiercely. "Rinoa told me once— she said I was causing a lot of trouble… then she took a shard of glass from a broken mirror…"

Absently, Rin began to tug at the gleaming string of silver around her neck. She could feel a smoother, slightly heavier object brushing briefly against her breast but thought nothing of it.

"Rinoa wasn't perfect. I warned her never to take her weakness out on you, but saving the world isn't easy. Please understand… now you have your life back."

"I was left in here to rot!" Rin snapped heavily. "You made the Seven Day Sacrifice! If that had succeeded then Rinoa would've lived inside me forever! This wasn't supposed to happen at all, was it? I'm not supposed to be here, Rinoa is!"

"Don't assume something so foolish," Shiva stated calmly. Gracefully, she placed an arm behind her neck and pushed locks of frigid hair behind her. Narrowing her bright blue eyes, she turned her back on the other girl and began walking slowly away.

"Sorceress Rinoa was created from the powers of the GF and Earth combined. On her own, she was merely formless energy. It was selfish to borrow a young orphan's body for it so we created the Seven Day Sacrifice. The intention of this was to keep YOU alive. It was our penance." Shiva explained. "After Ultimecia's defeat, the 'energy' must be returned. Sorceress Rinoa was never meant to remain 'living' after the world was saved… but you were."

The Ice Goddess stopped briefly and glanced thoughtfully at Rin's look of dejection. "We apologize for taking nine years of your life… but you helped save the world. You spared innocent lives and ensured the future for this planet. Pleaseaccept the gratitude."

At a loss of words, Rin clutched her arms and endured the sting of sand invading her eyes and sticking to the moisture upon her skin. The memories were returning gradually... she heard distant laughter, footsteps, and music… Random images flashed in the back of her mind; flowers, buildings, bright lights, monsters, people… friends… She placed a tentative hand to her brow and tried to find a place for every emotion she felt.

"There…" Shiva told her as she extended her arm to the side. "The Gates of Time are waiting for you. You can rot here if you wish… or return home to those who love you."

_…Love…me…_

"Shiva… what if the one they love… isn't me…?"

Her body had been there and so had her mind, but Sorceress Rinoa was the one they had grown to cherish. Rinoa was the one they protected. Memories of her true self at the orphanage were but a distant, faded memory to them. No way could she be regarded as the same person. She had been the vessel, but without Rinoa… would she now be considered 'empty'?

She hung her head in despair, letting strands of matted hair slip over her shoulders. "I still have what Rinoa built within me… I feel older… mature… I'm trying to remember everything, but I don't even know who I am. For a huge part of my life I was an outsider… to myself."

Struggling to hold her tears, Rin clenched her fist. "I'm just Rin. Plain Rinoa Heartilly. Not Sorceress Rinoa, not the savior…" _…not the one he loves… _"I can't be who they remember. What's the point in me going back…?"

Shiva turned to face her then, a look of intensity across her crystal features. "Don't accept being loved for 'Rinoa'. It's your life now… let them meet you, Rin.

…Just you."

* * *

_The war was over now. Shiva's spell to contain our memories had been lifted and everything from the orphanage came back in a rush while I was in time compression. _

I never fully understood it all. I argue with myself about it still…But hey, that's what I do best; I keep to myself. Who else should give a damn about my problems but me? If anything slipped out then annoying people all around would try to fix it. Didn't happen a lot… especially while I was growing up, but I was careful.

Except Rin. Annoying little Rinoa Heartilly. I lost count of the times she managed to crack a smirk out of me. Like I'd ever say a goddamn thing to anyone, but even at that age, I would've gone to hell and back for that girl.

Yeah… I didn't get it either.

Everyday she was at the orphanage she said something to me. Or did something to me. Anything to make me feel acknowledged. I pushed her off, ignored her, told her to 'shove it' a couple hundred times, too… but Rin never gave up on me. I returned the favour. I'd stop her from tripping, kept her warm with my jacket…And I still tried so hard to be mean to her at the same time. She really was an angel.

It was funny how my memory of her was all I could think of in time compression.

When I met Sorceress Rinoa, it was the second time in my whole life that someone had managed to reach me. How ironic that the two girls were somehow connected…

I …realize it now.

Rin…

* * *

"What's all the commotion over there?"

"That's Commander Leonhart. He just returned from a successful mission in aiding our Savior. Ultimecia's been defeated! Can you believe it?"

"It's wonderful," the brunette agreed. "I'd love to meet him."

"Well, get in line! Everyone's crowding him to hear his story!"

"I can see that," she laughed. Obviously being the center of attention wasn't his cup of tea as she watched him rub irritably at the back of his neck. "I'll wait. Don't let me keep you."

"Nice meeting you! And hey, welcome to Balamb Garden! Catch ya' later, ok?" the other girl said over her shoulder as she ran off excitedly. Before disappearing into the crowd, she shouted a fanatic, "Yeah, it's over!" to no one in particular.

People were excited, smiling, laughing... the air felt so tranquil, so renewed of its hope. Everything was just the way it should be. She looked down at her necklace where a single ring dangled from the chain.

_Squall... _Her brown eyes watched the back of his head thoughtfully._ ...I remember you._

Smiling, she tucked the lion engraved ring back into her shirt and waited patiently to congratulate the hero.

The End.

— Leanne Ashley


	19. author's notes

**Author's Notes – Extended ****

* * *

**

**Disclaimer:** "Savior" is a fan-made story based on Final Fantasy VIII. It is in no way affiliated with Square Enix Inc. All characters and game specifics are trademark of Square Enix's 1999 release Final Fantasy VIII.

Game script provided by Oliver Kong from Gamefaqs

Storyline partially inspired by the anime Fushigi Yuugi: The Mysterious Play

Time: on and off over 1 year

**Chapter 23 notes**: Yes, there you have it. I leave you to let your imagination draw out the rest. My apologies for anyone wanting cute reunited Squinoa action, but I wanted to avoid using the ending cliché of them kissing on a balcony. Or them running at each other blurting out unlikely gibberish with outstretched arms. My vision of Squall and Rinoa is a selfish, reluctant hero paired with a beautiful hopeless romantic. I adore feelings of uncertainty, awkwardness, and jealousy in a blooming relationship… especially with the kind of character Squall is. Given this 'template', writing Savior was, although at times difficult, still a lot of fun. Thanks for reading, thanks for your patience, and thanks for motivating me.

**Further explanation on Chapter 22: **After Rinoa dies and Squall goes back to time compression, Squall, whose mind was too distracted to concentrate, kinda got 'lost' ..and he ended up going backwards through time a little too far. When he unknowingly enters that timeframe he hears someone say, "You're the prettiest Chocobo I've ever seen," ----

Now,that is the point where chapter 22 and chapter 17 are CONNECTED.

Hopefully, now if you read chapter 22, it'll make more sense. It's really hard to inccorporate 'time issues' into storylines. If something from the future visits the past, it only makes sense that when the past is being told as the present, it should include the visit from the future... wahaha now my eyes are crossed.

Thanks again for reading!


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